My Eyes to See
by Mystical Authoress
Summary: "I once thought of you as merely Earl Hargreaves' dog, but now you have become my eyes to see..." AU, takes place after Castrato arc. When Riff finds himself stuck with Cassandra, who has somehow lost his sight, in an unknown world, the two are forced to cooperate to find out what exactly is going on, and to hopefully reunite with the people they know and trust...
1. Sightless

**Author note: I don't own Count Cain: Godchild. Nor do I own Cassandra Gladstone, Riffael Raffit (aka Riff), etc. I only own the fic and OCs in the fic. And I know the title of the fic is lame, I will probably change it to something else later on.**

**You readers are probably wondering, 'Why am I writing yet another multi-chapter fic when I really should be working on 'Time for Torture,' 'Warfare's End,' 'Wonderland,' and 'Incarcerated,' as well as 'Madhouse Hospice'? **

**Reasons**

**1. I'm really stuck on said fics. Especially 'Incarcerated,' which I wanted to get done by the end of December. I doubt it's going to get finished until the end of January now... **

**2. This fic came up in my head, and I just had to write it. **

**3. I haven't had much views (or reviews) for the mentioned fics above, so there's not really much of a point of updating them any time soon...unless I get a review or more views, of course! (C'mon, readers! Give me some constructive criticism, PLEASE!)**

**So...yes, those are my reasons. Sorry for not updating the other fics in a while.**

**Warning: This fic is AU, takes place after the Castrato Arc in Godchild, possible spoilers up to Castrato, there are OCs (No Mary Sues and the like, I hope), and in the future, possible (the key word being possible, here) pairings.**

**Constructive Criticism or reviews would be great, and I hope you read, review and enjoy! Thanks!**

* * *

_My Eyes to See_

* * *

_1. Sightless_

When Riffael Raffit, loyal manservant of Earl Cain Hargreaves woke up, at first he saw nothing but darkness. He blinked a couple times, and then his eyes began to adjust to the dimness of the room as he sat up.

It wasn't really a room he was in; it was rather more like a cave, with an opening in the stone wall only paces away from him and there were no windows, nor doors. He was the only one in this place. Or so he thought, until he heard the sound of raspy breaths. Slowly, the manservant turned to the direction of the sound, and saw a figure, leaning against the stone wall not far from Riff, and the figure had a hand up to his face, obscuring it from view.

The person was male, his upper clothing torn to disrepair, and his dark brown hair was long, but not long enough to reach his shoulders. Blood dripped from a fresh cut on the arm, close to the left shoulder, and multiple noticeable bruises marked his arms and chest as well.

Riff, on instinct, immediately, yet cautiously, approached the man. He had a feeling that he knew who it was.

"Lord Gladstone?"

The older man didn't respond at first, but slowly lowered his hand, revealing closed eyelids, one of them bruised. He didn't say a word.

"Are you alright?" Riff knew that he was reaching out to the man that nearly killed him, the man that nearly had Cain as his slave, the man that put poor Leroy under that drugged influence, but he didn't care right now. It was too obvious that Lord Cassandra Gladstone was injured, and Riff really just couldn't leave him like that, even if Lord Cain didn't like Gladstone at all.

"If you think being beat up while being unconscious, and permanently losing your sight is 'alright,' I'm fine." Lord Gladstone muttered. "And just because I can't see anymore doesn't mean I don't know who you are, dog. I knew who you were the moment I heard your voice."

"Can't see?" Riff was confused, having ignored the insult as he paid attention to the statements about Gladstone's sight. "Lord Gladstone, you have your eyes closed yourself, of course you can't-" He stopped mid-sentence as soon as Cassandra's eyelids opened.

Where the gleaming amber eyes should have been, there were two gaping holes. They weren't messy, bloody wounds like when the women who took that 'beauty potion' had their eyes taken out, but it was obvious whoever took out the eyes didn't really care too much for Cassandra's safety, seeing as the flesh that formerly surrounded the eyes and held them in place had a grayish tinge to them.

Riff held his breath for a moment, unsure of what to do. He finally exhaled slowly, trying to calm himself down before he finally sputtered, "H-how? When-"

"Someone did it. I'm not sure who. I was knocked unconscious, and the last thing I remember feeling was a sharp pain all over my eyes. When I woke up, I couldn't see a thing, and that's when I realized they...well, you know the rest already." Cassandra exhaled before adding, "I don't even remember a thing from before I was knocked out. Do you have any idea how you got here?"

"No." Riff admitted quietly after a moment of thinking. "I'm afraid I don't, Lord Gladstone." He paused before speaking again. "I don't think we can just stay here."

"True." Cassandra admitted reluctantly. He paused before asking, "Of course, I cannot see, otherwise I would have probably found a way sooner and left _you_ behind. Are we the only ones here?"

Riff looked around quickly, before answering. "Yes."

Cassandra sighed. "If that's the case, you'll need to lead me. It's not as if you're blind yourself, are you?"

"No, Lord Gladstone, I'm not blind." Riff reassured him.

"Good." Riff helped the older man up as Cassandra continued speaking. "Then, you will lead me out, and then we'll have to find help."

Riff was a bit surprised that Cassandra wasn't trying to strangle him or anything like that. Then again, Riff wasn't surprised at the same time; the older man couldn't see, and therefore be unable to find a way out of this place. It was also obvious from the tone of his voice that as much as he did not enjoy Riff's presence, he had no choice but to cooperate with him, and trust that Riff would help him.

As Riff led Cassandra through the tunnel, grasping onto the older man's hand, he hoped that he could find Lord Cain soon. But first, he had to find help for Lord Gladstone, whether he liked it or not.


	2. Trust

_2. Trust_

It wasn't long until Riff and Cassandra were out of the cave. The manservant looked around. There were trees everywhere, and the ground was a verdant green, with spots of fresh dirt about, with perhaps some rocks, too.

He saw a bit of smoke rising from not too far away. Perhaps a village was nearby? Without hesitation, Riff continued to grasp onto Lord Gladstone's hand as he walked towards the source of the smoke, but then he paused. If there was a village nearby, the people there probably wouldn't exactly enjoy the sight of Cassandra's empty eye sockets.

He ripped off some cloth from his left sleeve, and then tied it about the older man's eyelids as gently as he could, but tight enough so that it wouldn't slip off by accident.

"What are you-" Cassandra started, but Riff interrupted.

"Forgive me, Lord Gladstone, but I really don't think the people we encounter would exactly want to see your, ahem, lack of eyes." Riff responded quietly.

Lord Gladstone paused before responding. "Good point there. Thank you."

"No trouble at all, sir."

It still felt odd to Riff that he was helping the same man that tried to kill him not too long ago. Riff tried not to think of that as he continued to hold onto the older man's hand.

* * *

Riff's hunches were correct as soon as they reached their destination in a matter of minutes. It was a village.

There were many people, as far as Riff could see. There were vendors all about, yelling to other people to buy their wares. A few children ran past Riff, giggling as they played a game of tag. The manservant looked around quietly; perhaps an inn would be a good place to find help, but then again, he didn't see one anywhere.

Besides, the more they stayed out here, the more the villagers were going to stare at Cassandra, taking into considering he had _nothing_ to cover his upper half and that there was a makeshift_ blindfold_ about where his eyes should have been. That would look very...odd.

So, instead, Riff pulled Cassandra into the closest shop he saw.

There was practically no one in the store. Shelves of books were everywhere, and a counter was to the left of the two men. Looking around, Riff was about to ring the bell on the counter when they heard the small sound of something wooden hitting something.

Cassandra was silent, appearing to be listening to the sound. "What...what is it?" He asked aloud, albeit quietly.

That was when a little girl came into Riff's view, a broom in hand. She had to be at least the same height as Maryweather at the shortest; probably a year or two older than Cain Hargreaves' sister. Her clothing was neat, albeit simple; a light brown dress with simple black shoes. She had raven black hair, tied into two braids, and her clear blue eyes looked up at them briefly, full of curiosity.

"Who...who are you?" She asked. Before Riff could answer, a woman about Riff's age or perhaps a few years younger came into the room.

"Loanna, what is it-" She paused when she saw the two men. She turned to the girl. "How about you go sweep the back; I'll take care of this." The girl nodded before leaving the room, broom included. The woman then turned back towards the two, hands on her hips as she glared at them with her dark green eyes. "If you two are going to suffer hangovers from drunkeness, do it somewhere else. I don't like drunkards in my shop."

"Wha-" Cassandra started, confused, but Riff interrupted him.

"We're completely sober, I can assure you ma'am." Riff spoke quickly, not wanting to get kicked out.

"Even your shirtless companion here?" She spoke, glancing at Cassandra.

"...Yes." Riff responded, taking a deep breath before continuing. "He's not drunk, either. His appearance is due to a..." He turned to Cassandra. "Do you remember anything by now of what exactly happened to you earlier?"

"I still don't. The only thing I can remember still before falling unconscious was the sharp pain where my eyes were supposed to be-" Cassandra stopped midsentence. "Shoot." He hadn't meant to slip that out...

The woman appeared to look a bit more concerned. "You were attacked? Oh dear..." She paused before speaking again. "Follow me. I'll do my best to help, although I am no healer of wounds. And how rude of me not to introduce myself. My name is Carina. And you two are?"

"I'm Riffael Raffit, ma'am. You can just call me Riff. And this is Lord Cassandra Gladstone." Riff spoke, gesturing to Cassandra when he mentioned the older man's name.

Carina looked at Cassandra carefully. "Cassandra? It's an interesting name for a man...odd, but interesting enough, I suppose."

Riff cringed a bit when Cassandra appeared to blush slightly of embarassment.

"It-It's a fine name in my opinion, Miss Carina, a-a dignified name, after the great Greek prophetress of Troy!" Cassandra defended weakly.

"Troy?" Carina was confused again.

Cassandra sighed. "Never mind..."

* * *

She led the two to the back part of the building, a small parlour with an unlit fireplace and a few lamps on the small tables. As Riff and Cassandra sat down on nearby chairs, the sound of someone knocking on a door was heard. "Loanna, can you get that?" Carina spoke up, and the pitter-patter of feet echoed in the hallway in response.

"I hate to ask, but is Loanna your...um...daughter?" Riff asked as politely as he could.

Carina shook her head. "No, she is not, not biologically. I suppose it is easy for one to think that she is, taking into account that we do look similar if it wasn't for the eyes..." Carina had a good point there, Riff noted to himself. Her simple appearance and ravened black hair did make her look somewhat similar to Loanna, except that their eyes were different colours.

"Carina! It's Adrian!" Loanna shouted from outside the room. "He's got a package for you!"

"Bring him in here, I'm sure he wouldn't mind stepping in for a little while." Carina called back, and soon enough, Loanna came skipping back into the room, accompanied by a tall man who seemed to be about Riff's age. His long, unkempt dark hair went a little past his shoulders, and he wore a plain dark green shirt with brown trousers. His dark eyes looked at the other two men in confusion as he handed the package to Carina.

"Carina...I'm assuming I came at an inconvenient time?" Adrian's voice was deep, and the tone sounded a tad concerned. "What happened?"

"This one got attacked; his name is Cassandra." Carina spoke, gesturing to Cassandra. "His companion here, Riff, he brought him over here. I nearly chased them out, I thought they were drunks, but obviously they're sober from the looks of it."

Adrian tapped the side of Cassandra's blindfold, and the older man flinched slightly. "Relax; I'm not going to hurt you." He spoke quietly before turning to Riff. "Why is he wearing a blindfold?"

Riff bit his lip, looking downwards slightly before turning to Cassandra. "Lord Gladstone, is it alright for you to..."

"Take off my blindfold?" Cassandra exhaled a bit before answering. "They would have eventually found out, anyway." He pulled off the makeshift blindfold slowly, and Carina and Adrian stared in shock, as Loanna tilted her head to the side, curious.

"Your eyes..." Adrian trailed off. "How..."

"Well, we know someone attacked me. I don't know who." Cassandra interrupted.

"Wow! You don't have any eyes!" Loanna exclaimed, extending an arm and touching the older man's eyelids. Apparently, she didn't seem very fazed by the sight. "Did it hurt when you lost them?" She asked, a little concerned.

"Yes. Very much." Cassandra answered quietly. "I don't think losing them is a good idea."

"Okay." Loanna paused before asking, "Do you want a cookie?"

Cassandra appeared to be taken aback slightly (Riff supposed no one had really offered him food before like this), but he accepted the offer. With that decision being made, Loanna ran out of the room, probably to retrieve said cookie. Carina and Adrian both broke into small chuckles at the current situation.

As Riff watched quietly, for some reason, he felt as if things would be alright, somehow. Sure, he had to find Lord Cain, and yes, he had to help Cassandra find out how they even got here in the first place; even if Cassandra wasn't, well, the greatest companion ever, but...

He knew for sure that he and Cassandra were going definitely have to learn to trust each other, and everyone else, too.

* * *

**Author note: Phew...second chapter is up! Yay! :) **

**Thank you to everyone for reading this so far; I really appreciate it and Merry Christmas, Joyeux Noel, Feliz Navidad and every awesome holiday greeting to you guys! Again, reviews would really be nice; I would like to know what you think of the fic so far! For those of you that review, I award you an imaginary cookie. (I would like to send real cookies, but I kinda of can't do that, kind of complicated...) Thanks so much!**


	3. Story

_3. Story_

The past few days, Cassandra figured for himself, were not much of an improvement, at least for him. Yes, he and Riff (that _dog _that served _Cain Hargreaves_) had shelter here at Carina's house. Yes, Riff, Carina, Adrian and Loanna were taking decent care of him to the best of their ability, and were nice to him. Yes, he had new clothing, which he was quite grateful for (probably not as fine-looking as the clothing back at his manor, but at least he wasn't wearing rags anymore). Yes, the bruises were fading and the cuts became scabs. But, there were two things that weren't fixed.

First, there was the fact that he hadn't been allowed to go outside. Adrian had explained to him that he should try to get used to his surroundings in Carina's house first. This proved to be difficult, considering he ran into several objects in the past days; consisting of running into Riff, Adrian, Carina, five doors, two chairs, and three times tripping while going up and down the stairs exactly.

The other thing was that he couldn't see anything, since he didn't have any eyes, which was the reason for the first problem. Of course, that problem couldn't be solved that easily. No matter how much he tried, he probably would still run into people and other items...

But, just because he couldn't see didn't mean he had too hard a time getting used to his surroundings. He ran into doors less often eventually, and the only problem he really had were with the stairs and people eventually. Of course, he mastered going up and down the stairs fine enough with time, too (well, unless one counted the time in which Adrian witnessed Cassandra screaming a "YES!" of triumph when he reached the top of the stairs without tripping, before falling down the stairs nearly crushing Adrian in the process). Perhaps soon, Cassandra figured, he would be allowed to go outside; with someone to guide him, of course. It would be terrible if he got lost.

* * *

Eventually, with much persuasion and help from Riff, Carina reluctantly agreed that it would be good for Cassandra to go outside, with Riff and Adrian accompanying him.

"You'll need the fresh air, anyway." Carina had muttered. "Just remember; if you see the Great Apothecary or his Divine Healers, bow to them or get on your knees. Do not get them mad in any way, and try not to cause any trouble. You should be fine, then."

Adrian had explained to Cassandra and Riff earlier about the Great Apothecary and the Divine Healers. The Great Apothecary was a man who was the leader of the village. A few years ago, he saved the villagers from demons that inflicted illness upon the people, and the villagers now looked up to him as their saviour; as they knew he had divine powers of healing. The Divine Healers were the Great Apothecary's right hand men, to be exact. They served the Great Apothecary and were known to also have the gifts of healing. The thing was, though, this healing did not come for free. One would have to pay for wounds to be healed. There were three Divine Healers; Sven, Briana, and Riley.

"Do not anger any of the Healers, especially Briana. She is heard to keep a grudge on those who anger her." Adrian told Riff and Cassandra. The two nodded quietly, but Cassandra had other things in his mind besides the Healers and the Apothecary.

Was it...possible that maybe they could help him get his eyes back?

* * *

Cassandra couldn't see, that was true, but that didn't mean he couldn't feel anything or hear anything. The chatter of the villagers rung in his ears as Riff led him through the crowds, tightly grasping onto Cassandra's hand. The smell of something, perhaps sausages being cooked, hung in the air, causing the older man to salivate slightly.

If there was one thing he missed back at his manor, it was definitely food. The wine, the fine meals back there...it was definitely something he missed. Of course, it wasn't like he would ever have something like that here, he figured, and he would have to get used to it.

Suddenly, he snapped out of his thoughts as he found himself being seated on a bench, definitely wooden and a little wobbly, but sturdy and solid enough to support his weight.

"Lord Gladstone, Adrian and I are going to get some meat from the butcher. We'll be back soon; just stay here, alright?" Riff spoke. Cassandra nodded, and he was left alone. He lifted a hand to his face, touching the blindfold before resting his hand on his thigh.

So what if he was alone? At least he could think some more, take in the scents of the marketplace and the chatter of the villagers...

Before he could resume his deep thoughts, however, a little hand touched his own hand.

* * *

The man appeared to flinch slightly at the contact. Maryweather cringed a bit.

"Sorry." Maryweather spoke quietly as she sat beside him.

"It's alright." The older man responded quietly, turning his head to face her. Maryweather studied his face. He appeared to be slightly concerned, even if she couldn't see his eyes from underneath that blindfold. The two were silent for a moment, before she remembered what she wanted to ask him.

"Um, I hate to ask, but...Why are you wearing a blindfold?" She asked, hoping that she wasn't offending him in any way.

He paused, hesitant, but before responding. "Sometimes...I honestly don't know." He answered sheepishly.

"If that's the case, why don't you take it off? You can't see anything with it on." Maryweather responded.

The man shook his head. "I'm afraid I cannot. Even if I took it off, I wouldn't be able to see, anyway." He replied quietly.

"Oh. I'm sorry..." Maryweather trailed off as she thought to herself. Perhaps the man was blind, and he didn't wish to show it? She didn't know. "Are you usually around here? Do you live around here?" She asked, trying to continue the conversation.

"No, for both questions. I don't come from here." He replied. "What about you?"

"I don't, either." She replied. The two paused again, before Maryweather asked, out of curiosity. "Do you know any stories?"

* * *

Oh dear. Oh _dear. _Stories were _not _something Cassandra was ever accustomed to. Sure, he knew of Cinderella, and the Juniper Tree, but he didn't really think storytelling was his forte. Heck, when was the last time he ever read a piece of fiction such as that?

Cassandra hesitated. Should he say yes, and try to tell a story? Or should he decline, tell this girl that he couldn't remember anything?

He hesitated before answering the girl. "I suppose I could try to make something up." He spoke in response. "Of course, if you get sick of it, go ahead and tell me to shut my mouth."

"Okay." The girl responded, and then waited silently.

He might as well try. It's only one person listening. Hopefully, he's not that bad at storytelling.

Taking a deep breath, he started the story.

* * *

There was a man, who could not see a thing at all. He was a great warrior, and had a pistol and sword at his disposal as his weapons. He had no idea how he got to the foreign land he was in, and traveled all over. During his travels, he was joined by other companions; a man who was searching to find his master, another whose kind heart towards the creatures residing in the land who wished to be loved, and a princess who wanted to help her kingdom.

"Was the princess pretty?" Maryweather asked.

The blindfolded man paused, before answering. "Yes, I think she would be quite pretty."

"What did she look like?"

"Hmm...Well, I'd like to think she had pretty eyes and hair; like you perhaps." He spoke, his mouth turning upwards into a small smile. Maryweather smiled back. "Anyway, where was I?" He asked.

"You were at the travelling part."

"Right. Thank you."

The man and his companions traveled and traveled together, soon discovering that there was an evil darkness that threatened to take over the land and destroy everyone. They fought the evil creatures, one by one, of hatred, greed, lust-

* * *

"What's lust?"

Oops. Cassandra mentally wanted to kick himself for mentioning that. _She's a child, for goodness sakes! Don't ruin her innocence; probably not a good idea to do..._

"Um..." Cassandra paused before explaining. "It means you have romantic affections for someone...for the wrong reasons. I think it's a term you may have to wait until you're a bit older to understand..." He trailed off awkwardly. "Anyway, let's get back to the story! Where were we?"

They fought the evil creatures, destroying them one by one, before facing the evil mastermind behind the plot. They fought courageously; even when the evil creatures tried to overwhelm them several times, even when the group got seperated occasionally. Then, the blind man sacrificed himself, giving up his life to destroy the evil one.

"Did he die?" The girl gasped.

"I'm almost there!" Cassandra told her, taking a deep breath before finishing the story. "The princess stepped forward, and healed the man of his wounds, before he could die. And-"

That was when Cassandra felt himself being pulled forwards by the shirt collar, before being slammed into the ground.

* * *

Some villagers shrieked as Maryweather stared at the woman who had approached the man, grabbed him and threw him onto the ground. The woman was tall, probably about Riff's height or slightly shorter. She wore a black cloak, the hood thrown back. Her tunic was also black, as well as her trousers. Her hair was a deep red, matching the colour of her lips. Her dark eyes, dark as coal, glared down at the man before kicking him once. The man let out a groan of pain in response, and she kicked him again.

"You fool." The woman hissed, her voice as cold as ice. "How dare you cause such a disturbance to the others!"

The man got on his knees, before looking up at the woman. Maryweather felt that she should say something.

"Please, miss, um, he was only telling me a story; he didn't mean to-" Maryweather started, but then, before she realized it, she was on the ground, too, recoiling from a strike to the face.

"Shut your mouth, girl." The woman snapped. She then turned towards the man, touching his blindfold. The man flinched. "Now, what lies behind this filthy cloth, covering your eyes from view?" She spoke, before ripping it off.

Some of the villagers screamed. One villager looked like she was about to faint while others were whispering to each other. Maryweather had no idea what to do. Should she scream, too? Or should she stay silent?

* * *

Cassandra got to his feet, before putting a hand to his face. That woman; whoever she was, she _tore off _his blindfold, she kicked him twice, and she threw him on the ground. He, Lord Cassandra Gladstone, would not accept this.

_"Give it back."_ Some bite leaked into his tone of voice. "What would you want with a blindfold, miss?" He spoke, trying to be polite, despite his angry urge to start shouting at her. "I don't understand of why you would do such a thing in the first place; ripping off my blindfold and beating my person. It's a disgraceful thing; and for goodness sakes, I was just telling the child a story. Since when was that against any law or rule that has been established?"

The woman growled slightly as he finished. "I don't understand why you would take my blindfold, either. All I ask is that you give it back." He extended his hand, hoping that he would feel the soft fabric of the blindfold in his hand. His words followed with a brief moment of silence.

For that brief moment of silence, he felt like his old self; Lord Cassandra Gladstone, the nobleman; proud of himself and unwilling to fall to someone who would dare try to disgrace him.

Right after that, he felt the slap of the cloth hitting his face, before a strike to his face followed. He recoiled, falling to the ground again as he heard the woman exhale slightly.

Before the woman could say anything back at him, though, that was when a voice, definitely male, interrupted her.

"Really, Briana; he has a point. Please try to refrain from doing something so disgraceful. It was unecessary."

* * *

Maryweather and everyone else turned to see Sven, one of the Divine Healers; _her current, self-appointed guardian_ walk towards her, Briana and the man. His long, pale blond hair went a couple inches past his shoulders. His eyes of light blue; matching Maryweather's eyes, looked at Briana quietly. Maryweather figured he looked about Riff's age, maybe slightly older.

Briana began to speak. "Sven, this man was-"

"You claim he causes public disturbance." Sven interrupted her. "And yet, you were the one to cause attention from the other villagers. How rude of you to reprimand one when you do such a crime yourself. And the man was merely telling one person, one child a story. How could that hurt anyone?"

Briana glared at Sven, before turning to leave. "You'll regret this later." She snapped, before dissapearing into the crowd.

Sven turned to Maryweather. "I thought you were not supposed to wander off..."

"Sorry, Sven." Maryweather apologized quietly. "I was curious about...him..." She turned, glancing at Cassandra.

* * *

Cassandra sighed quietly as he got on his knees. Briana and Sven; they're two of the three Divine Healers. So much for trying not to get any of them angry; he was sure Briana would keep a grudge on him, permanently.

He heard quiet footsteps getting closer to him, before a soft shuffling of the feet was heard and he felt a slightly cool breath upon his face. Cassandra flinched, trying to pull away, but he heard a reasurring shush at his ear.

"I apologize for Briana's behaviour." Sven spoke quietly. "I am Sven, one of the Divine Healers. You are?"

"C-Cassandra." Cassandra responded quickly. He felt a hand, probably Sven's own, trace his eyelids gently.

"You lost your sight. You lost your eyes. I can't read minds, but I'm guessing you might be hoping that I could heal you?" Cassandra nodded. Sven let out a soft sigh. "I'm sorry. I cannot do such things; I can only heal minor wounds such as cuts, or scrapes. Here." He wrapped the blindfold about Cassandra's eyes. "You dropped it when you fell just now."

"Um...Thank you." Cassandra replied, unsure if he should say anything else. Unlike Briana, Sven seemed to be quite kind; or at least that's what Cassandra thought from Sven's tone of voice. Sven wasn't trying to tease, or humiliate, or try to be sarcastic; he was simply being honest and sympathetic.

"I'm afraid I must head back home, with Maryweather. Thank you for telling her such a wonderful story, and-" Sven paused. Cassandra wasn't sure of what was going to happen until he felt a soft pair of lips brush the left side of his face briefly. Cassandra heard Sven smile a little, before whispering even quieter, "This is your reward. Adieu, Cassandra."

As Cassandra heard Sven walk away, with Maryweather shouting a goodbye, all he could do was stand there with his face heating up, dumbfounded by what happened just then. When he couldn't hear Sven and Maryweather's footsteps anymore, that was when Riff and Adrian returned with the meat from the butcher.

* * *

"Sven?"

Sven looked down at Maryweather. "Yes?" He asked.

"Why did you kiss Cassandra?" Maryweather felt weird about that. Kissing, for her, was associated for people that one loved.

"Oh, that..." Sven paused for a moment. "I suppose I should not have done so. I should apologize to him next time, and I do apologize for you, since I led such a horrible example there. Do not do what I did. But, I can't help but think that there's something about him that I really admire. He was so bold to stand up against Briana. He was dressed like the other villagers; yet he had the air of a noble. He seemed very humble when I helped him, though." Sven smiled a little. "Yes. Perhaps there is more to him that it seems. Perhaps I should converse with him sometime."

Maryweather still felt somewhat confused. Did this mean Sven took affection for Cassandra, some sort of admiration? She just really, really didn't know. She wasn't sure if this was something to ponder about or nor to ponder about; not at all. She just hoped that it wouldn't get Sven or Cassandra in any further trouble.

She also hoped that she could see her big brother again soon. She hadn't seen him...Not yet.

* * *

**Author note: Phew, the next chapter's up! And, Maryweather graces us with her appearance! (insert sound of cheering here) **

**Thanks to you guys for reading so far, though reviews would be nice. What do you think of this fic so far? Are the OCs okay? (crosses fingers for luck) Is everyone in character? I would really love to know, and thank you again for reading! :)**

**Oh, almost forgot. I'll try to work more on my fic, 'Incarcerated,' after a long while of not working on it, and try to get it done by end of April 2013, but no guarantees...**


	4. Discussion

_4. Discussion_

"You angered Briana?" Adrian sighed as he sunk into a chair. "Cassandra, you are done for already the next time you ever encounter her, I swear." Riff watched the scene unfold quietly, unsure if he should say anything. When the three got back to Carina's house, Adrian had immediately asked Cassandra for an explanation of why Briana looked so angry as he and Riff passed by her, and why Sven appeared to be somewhat...interested in Cassandra.

"I didn't mean to," Cassandra protested as he sat in a chair opposite Adrian. "All I was doing is telling the girl a _story _and getting kicked and punched isn't exactly the response you want. It wasn't like the story was horrible, either! It was about-"

"The blind warrior who traveled with a princess, a man who loves all living creatures and another companion by his side. I know; Sven told me about it." Adrian interrupted. His face appeared to soften slightly as he spoke the next couple of words. "I didn't know you knew that myth, though."

"Myth?" Riff really couldn't help but interject here. "What sort of myth exactly, Adrian?" he asked quietly.

Adrian crossed his legs and leaned back slightly in his chair. "Well," He started, "All of us know the myth of a warrior who could not see physically, that he was blind. And he did travel with a princess of the sort, a companion who guided him, and a person who loved living creatures. And they did go against a great evil..."

"Wait a second, I just thought of it in my mind; I didn't remember it from anywhere." Cassandra spoke up. "That's...Odd..."

"Cassandra?" Riff spoke suddenly. Cassandra had told Riff since a few days ago just to call him Cassandra and not Lord Gladstone ("I don't think people really care about such titles around here." Cassandra told Riff. "Just call me Cassandra, alright?").

Cassandra turned to face Riff, if not see him. "Yes?" He replied.

"What was the name of the girl who was with Sven?"

"...It's Maryweather. Why do you ask-" Cassandra started, but then Riff interrupted.

"Miss Maryweather...I _thought_ that was her with Sven! Thank goodness she's under the care of someone like him. It would be terrible if it were Briana or some other person with such nasty behaviour." He sighed of relief. "Cassandra, I don't think you know, but Lord Cain has a half-sister. Maryweather would be her."

Cassandra gaped slightly. "You're joking." He blurted out.

"I'm not." Riff responded. He paused before speaking. "Well, there's one thing for sure...We have to reunite with Maryweather, soon. I think that might be best..."

"Is she the same age as me?" Loanna's voice seemed to almost echo in the room as everyone turned to face her. The girl appeared to sound curious about this 'Maryweather,' her head tilted to the side in a sort of thoughtful way.

"How old are you, Loanna?" Riff asked.

"Ten." She responded, holding up all of her fingers.

Cassandra heard Riff smile. "Then yes, she is the same age as you."

"Yay!"

_I think things just got complicated, given the overall situation. _Cassandra thought to himself he listened to the others converse. _To think I was talking with that Earl's sister...Well, at least I know it's better to converse with her than Cain. At least she doesn't seem to mind my presence. But how are we supposed to get her back with Riff? How do I avoid Briana's wrath, and...what exactly is with Sven? Why did he-does he usually do this to strangers-why? I know that he has a courteous demeanor, but...There is something about him that I can't shake off. Something...A bit darker..._

* * *

"Goodnight, Maryweather." Sven tucked the young girl into bed before starting to leave the room.

"Sven?" Sven turned towards Maryweather, who was still lying down in her bed. "Do you think we'll run into Cassandra again?" She asked quietly.

Sven smiled at her. "I'm sure we will eventually. Goodnight."

"Night..."

Sven shut the door behind him gently, before walking down the hallway. He needed some time to think, some time to-

"I heard about a situation in which you and Briana were involved. It is good that you reprimanded Briana for doing such a dishonorable act, but did you really have to kiss that man? People will assume the wrong things, Sven." Riley's voice, stern as a parent disciplining a child, cut into his thoughts.

Sven turned to the slightly older man. "I know what I did wasn't exactly...right, Riley." He spoke quietly, looking downwards. "I will apologize to him as soon as I encounter Cassandra again."

The older man extended a hand and pushed the other's chin upward, so that the two were making eye contact, Sven's light blue eyes meeting eyes of a deep shade of crimson. The eyes were not glaring anger or anything of the sort towards him; they showed nothing but concern.

"I just don't want people saying terrible things about you, Sven. Alright?" Riley's hand had trailed upwards from the other's chin and now cupped Sven's cheek. "I don't want you to end up with...deteriorating reputations such as mine."

Sven nodded quietly, his head nuzzling slighty into the touch for a brief moment. Riley had a point. It would be terrible if Sven ended up having a terrible reputation, taking into consideration that Riley and Briana themselves already brought trouble somewhat, simply because of that.


	5. Trusted Guardian

_5. Trusted Guardian_

"The Grand Apothecary is going to be in the village square today, showing off. Do you want me to bring you over there, Cassandra?" Carina asked as she poured the blind man a glass of water during breakfast.

Cassandra paused as he sipped his glass of water carefully, as not to spill anything (it wasn't easy since he was blind, after all). He then took a deep breath before asking, "Why do you mean exactly by 'showing off?' Is he healing people for free?"

"Exactly." Adrian answered as he sat beside Cassandra. "The Apothecary does this occasionally; showing off his powers in front of everyone so that they will have further faith in their leader, and that they'll be willing to do anything to get any wounds or illnesses healed; even if it means throwing their own lives down for him."

"Wait a second." Riff spoke up. "Cassandra can't even see. How are we supposed to describe to him in detail every single thing that's going on? And considering the incident from yesterday; I'm not sure if it's entirely safe for him to go out again."

Cassandra sighed. "Are you really sure? They're not going to kill me as soon as they see me...right?" He asked, a bit of nervousness leaking into his voice. Cassandra knew that Sven wouldn't try to hurt him, but Briana? He felt a bit concerned about that.

"I'm not sure myself, but I don't think we should take any risks, though. Sorry Cassandra, you're going to have to stay here." Carina spoke up. She turned to Riff. "Perhaps you could go in Cassandra's stead and see it for yourself, Riff. You can tell Cassandra about it when we get back."

Riff nodded in response. "I thank you for the opportunity, Miss Carina." He spoke quietly.

Carina let out a huff. "Riff, how many times have I told you? Stop with the 'Miss' Carina and just call me by name!" She muttered.

"My apologies..."

* * *

The raven-haired teen leaned against the wall, some of the stone bricks developing cracks as moss gradually seeped through them, spreading over the greyness behind him. He was stuck here, for trespassing during a meeting between the people that were called 'The Great Apothecary' and 'The Divine Healers.' He didn't know how long he was here. A day? Two days? Three?

His mind wandered to the people that kept him captive in this dungeon. Divine Healers? Great Apothecary? Really? It all sounded very, _very _suspicious already. Did they actually have the abilities to heal people?

Before he could think any deeper into this, though, that was when he heard the sound of boots clunking softly down the hall. A figure, with long blond hair and wearing black trousers with a simple white shirt appeared in the teen's view, holding a small tray with what appeared to be bread and a glass of water on it.

_Sven. One of the Divine Healers._

"Good morning, Cain. Did you sleep well?" Sven asked quietly as he opened the cell and put the tray down in front of Cain.

"Fine." Cain muttered quietly, before eyeing the food suspiciously.

Sven gave a small pout. "I'm not going to poison you or anything. Unless the food is undercooked, I doubt you will die from eating it. I baked the bread myself, you know." He spoke his light blue eyes meeting Cain's golden-green ones. He paused for a moment, before speaking. "Go on, eat. Otherwise the food will get too cold."

Cain didn't hesitate, and he picked up the piece of warm bread before taking a bite into it. He swallowed, before speaking.

"I didn't think you liked taking care of prisoners." He remarked quietly, taking another bite out of the bread. Darn it, he wanted to ask Sven something just now, but he forgot what it was. And it was important, too!

"I don't like it if people are underfed." Sven responded, sitting down and crossing his long legs. "It's not good for them. The same goes for you. We're all human beings."

"..." Cain was silent for a moment, before he remembered what he wanted to ask. "How's Maryweather?" He asked. He knew that his beloved little sister was under the guard of Sven, who promised Cain that he would take good care of her when Cain got caught and found out Maryweather was in the village, too.

"She's alright, I can assure you." Sven replied, nodding once. "She and I met a most interesting person yesterday. He wore a blindfold over his eyes and he had brown, straight hair. If I remember his voice correctly, it was deep, yet held a hint of melody to it. He nearly got in trouble with Briana; all because he was telling Mary a story. He defended himself, though; with such bold words...As if he was a noble."

_A noble? Wait a minute... _"What was his name?" Cain asked quickly, immediately getting an idea of who it could be. _Brown hair...a noble?_

"His name was Cassandra."

_Lord Cassandra Gladstone._

"Don't trust him." Cain immediately blurted out. "He-he's done terrible things, Sven. He's hurt one of my sister's friends before, he's committed a massacre of thousands of people, he has hypnosis abilities that he can use to manipulate-"

Sven gave him a cold glare, silencing him on the spot. "He's lost his eyes, Cain. Literally. He can't see. I don't know how that situation has come upon him, and it's terrible for you to speak such ill of him, even if it's true. Don't be rude to those who suffer from such predicaments, even if you do hate them or if they did bad things to you. That was drilled into my mind since childhood, and I repeat it to you." He spoke sternly. "Understood?"

All Cain could do was nod. As far as he knew about Sven, he definitely seemed to have a thing for reprimanding people due to terrible behaviour towards others, and Cain himself was no exception. He seemed to care an awful lot for children, and he was very patient and kind. In Cain's opinion, Sven was surely the complete opposite of Alexis Hargreaves, Cain's father, who put the teen under nightly abuse in his childhood.

Before Sven could speak any further, another sound, two sets of footsteps, became a bit louder as two people approached Sven and Cain. One of them was a red-haired woman; Cain recognized her to be Briana, one of the Divine Healers. The other was a young boy, with ash-blond hair and slightly grimy skin and clothing. He looked like he was shivering slightly, and he looked down at the ground silently. Cain recognized him at once.

"Leroy?" Cain spoke up quietly. The boy looked at Cain, the eyes flashing with a bit of surprise or fear. "Is that you?"

"Be quiet, you fool." Briana snapped at Cain, before turning to Sven. "I found this _brat_ snooping around here just now. And since you're so _good_ with children," She harshly shoved Leroy towards Sven, who caught the boy gently in his arms, "You can do what you want with him. I'm going to get ready for the festival." She spoke sharply, starting to leave the three. "The Apothecary is expecting us, Sven."

"I'm not going." Sven spoke quietly. "Tell the Apothecary that, will you please?"

Briana turned back towards him, glaring at him. "And why not?" She demanded. "You know that the Apothecary will be angered by this."

"I am the trusted guardian of not just one child, but _two_ children now, as well as him." Sven responded, gesturing to Cain when he said 'him.' "I believe their well-being is much more important than a mere time to show off one's abilites. I am willing to suffer the consequences of my actions, Briana. You should go now. The Apothecary is expecting you."

Briana just scowled at him, before walking off. Leroy in the meanwhile was squirming about in Sven's gentle but firm grip, trying to break loose.

"It's okay...I'm not going to harm you." Sven tried to reassure Leroy. Leroy just gave him a look that appeared to reflect a bit more fear. "It's okay." Sven repeated quietly. "I promise I'll help you. I will never harm you, I swear it upon me."

"S-since...Since when did promises get you anywhere?" The younger boy snapped. "That's what Gladstone told me and this..." Leroy looked down at himself, his trembling figure. "This is the result. He...He destroyed what pride I had left for myself, and made sure I didn't have any courage to rebel against him! I bet he killed my sister, too!" His voice broke at the last statement, and he nearly collapsed into a fit of tears after that. Sven just held him a bit more closely as he looked up at Cain.

"Gladstone?" Sven asked, unfamiliar with the name.

"That's Cassandra's surname. Cassandra Gladstone." Cain explained to Sven. The older man hesitated, taking a deep breath.

"I'm sorry, Cain. I'll...take good care of the boy first, and then..." His eyes seemed to take a darker look. "Then I need to talk to Cassandra. I think I'll be occupied for the next little while before I can speak with you again."

* * *

**Author note: Now, Cain and Leroy grace us with their presence in this chapter! Yay!**

**Thank you readers for reading this fic so far. I'm glad about that. But...no reviews? It's kind of saddening. :( What do you think of the fic so far? Are the OCs okay? Do I have everyone decently in character? Tell me about it in your reviews! Thanks!**


	6. Thinking

_6. Thinking_

Cassandra sat in the living room, just simply thinking.

He was here in this unknown world. Riff was here, too. Maryweather obviously existed in this place as well. Did that mean everyone he knew somehow ended up in this world, too?

He really hoped _that _Trump Card wasn't around. Or Jizabel. Who knows what might happen if he ran into them. Jizabel would most likely kill him (Cassandra did make a bet with the Death Card, after all) or get Cassian to do the dirty work. The Trump Card would probably be glad enough to do so, as revenge for being kicked in the face.

It would probably be worse if he ran into, let's say, Moon. Or the Cardmaster. Cassandra shivered slightly at the thought of those two. He hoped they weren't existing in this world...No, actually, Cardmaster and Moon would probably be worse than Jizabel and Cassian combined. Cassandra really hoped that the Cardmaster and Moon didn't end up in this world for sure.

Cain's presence wouldn't be too bad, he supposed; Riff was getting along with Cassandra now and had helped him so much, but would that mean Cassandra wouldn't have Riff to help him get through the crowds of the city, to guide him through anymore unknown places? The thought of it was somewhat saddening, and Cassandra thought back to a conversation he had with Riff earlier this morning before he and Adrian departed towards the village square.

_"Riff?"_

_Riff turned towards Cassandra. "What is it, Lord Gladstone?" He asked softly. The two were alone in the room, and Riff would always call him by his title when alone. _

_Cassandra let out a sigh. "I find it kind of ironic, this whole situation...You and I were never meant to be allies. You and Earl Hargreaves against myself. That was how the situation was supposed to be before. But things have changed. I once thought of you as merely Earl Hargreaves' dog, but now you have become my eyes to see..." Cassandra faltered before finishing. "Literally and...possibly here, too." He touched his own empty eye sockets and pointed at his heart with one hand, before lowering it. "I just...thought I'd let you know, and what I mean is that I trust you. And you also make good tea."_

_Cassandra heard Riff smile. "I am honoured by such words, Lord Gladstone-"_

_"Just...Call me Cassandra when we're alone too, Riff. It's more fitting for this world, and I think more fitting for us now." Cassandra interrupted softly. _

_"Yes, Cassandra." Riff spoke, still smiling, and the sound of footsteps left Cassandra alone to his own thoughts._

Cassandra couldn't help but let out a small chuckle. "Goodness...Do I seriously trust you that much now, Riffael?" He asked to the empty silence of the room.

Before he could continue with his thoughts, however, that was when he heard someone enter the room and speak.

"Cassandra. It's me, Sven. I'm only going to ask this once, so you better be listening, alright?" Cassandra gave a nod in response to Sven's voice. He heard Sven take a deep breath before asking, "Why did you hurt Leroy and massacre all those innocent people?"

* * *

Sven saw Cassandra flinch as soon as he said that statement. He knew that Cassandra must have remembered that whole incident involving him and Leroy and Crimone Gardens just now...

Cassandra appeared to hesitate for a moment, before speaking. "Sven." He paused for a moment before continuing. "What I am about to tell you is something that shouldn't be revealed in public. Can you please promise to keep it secret? Please?" He asked. From the tone of voice, Cassandra sounded as if he was regretting the whole situation, as if he was feeling sick to his stomach.

"Yes." Sven spoke quietly, before sitting on a chair near Cassandra. "Please, continue."

Cassandra took a deep breath, before starting. "I used to be part of a secret organization by the name of Delilah. They do all sorts of black magic and experiments considered forbidden where I live. I was one of the Major Arcana, the highest rank except for Cardmaster Alexis Hargreaves, specifically the Hierophant. I was ordered by Alexis to lure as many people possible into Crimone Gardens and massacre them all. I figured a renovation and opening festival to the Gardens would lure in thousands, so that's what I did."

"So it was an order given to you by your former superior." Sven spoke up, starting to understand the situation. "Continue..."

"I hired a group of people, the Belk Boys, to do the work for me. I was a nobleman where I lived, so of course I could afford to not dirty my own hands doing such a work. They hooked up as many bombs as they could all over Crimone Gardens, and on the day of the festival, those bombs killed everyone in there. No survivors." Cassandra let out a sigh. "Of course, a few days before, that was when Cain Hargreaves and Riff came in. They must have heard about something to do with Crimone Gardens, besides the festival, but I knew they were trying to shut down Delilah and therefore probably investigate me. I had hypnosis and other psychic abilities under my sleeve though, so I thought I would be able to handle them."

"Jizabel Disraeli, Cain's half-brother, was ordered to stay at my manor during the time by orders of the Cardmaster to give me support, and eventually we settled upon a bet." Cassandra took a deep breath, folding his hands together on his lap before continuing. "If I could get Cain completely under my control, he would become my slave. If I failed...I had to give him anything he wanted, everything I owned. I was sure to win that bet at the time, but...I underestimated him, and Leroy, too."

* * *

"Leroy supposingly interefered with the Belk Boys while they were carrying the explosives underground in the sewers. They captured him, brought him to me, and I..."Cassandra felt his throat close up, and he let the words linger in the air for a moment.

"And you...?" Sven inquired, his voice sounding a bit saddened.

"I took him as my slave and dressed him as a woman. I even put him on drugs so that I would have less of a chance of him escaping or betraying me. I've even put him in torture devices." Cassandra finally finished. "Of course, he did betray me; I assume that Cain and Riff must have helped him escape, and Cain then exposed me as the true mastermind behind the Crimone Gardens bombing. I would have gotten arrested and put in jail, but..." Cassandra paused, trying to remember.

_What happened next? Everything is all blurry hereon, and..._

"That's when you got attacked and you ended up in this world, I presume?" Sven asked.

Cassandra sighed, nodding. "That's pretty much my situation." He felt like biting his tongue or throwing himself off a cliff, now. He never thought the past would come back to haunt him this much. First, Riff, with having to help him due to his blindness, and now Leroy...

He felt like this might become too much for him to handle.

Sven paused, before speaking again. "...Do you regret what you did?" He asked. He didn't sound angry, just...sad.

Cassandra just gave a single nod. "Yes. I mean it." He spoke after a brief moment of silence. "What I did back then...I was a much different person back then."

"I think that's noticeable." Sven responded quietly. "If you didn't feel any remorse, I doubt you would have even wanted to answer the questions I've asked you in the first place. And..." Sven took a deep breath before speaking once more. "Briana found Leroy earlier today. He's currently resting, back where I live. He looked very shaken up, and no doubt it may be resurfaced memories of those painful times."

Cassandra felt Sven's hand touch his own, and heard him take a deep breath before speaking.

"Would you like to talk to him? Face to face?"

Cassandra just gave a single nod in response, because he knew he didn't have to say anything else for now.


	7. Burning Shadows

_7. Burning Shadows_

In the village square, Riff stood beside Adrian, surrounded by the alarmingly huge crowd of people around them.

"Does everyone in the village come to see such spectacles?" Riff asked Adrian nervously.

Adrian nodded quietly. "Of course. Some people drag the sickly or more injured people to the Apothecary or the Divine Healers and beg them to heal those specific people. And how they repay them..." Adrian made a grim face. "I'm not sure if this is true, but payments can get extreme to the point that some women even give up their virginity to pay for being healed, if they don't have money to pay for it."

Riff couldn't help but cringe as well. "That certainly sounds...Very extreme." He remarked after much hesitation. "Why would people go to such limits? Do they surely see him as such a saviour?"

"Yes." Adrian let out a sigh, barely heard through the noisy chatter of the other villagers. "They almost quite blindly follow him...And I worry about that. I've always thought that there was something about the Apothecary that doesn't seem right. I just can't put my finger on what exactly."

Before Adrian could continue, a huge cheer went up from the rest of the crowd, and the two turned to see a man, probably about his mid-thirties or older, walk into the middle of the crowd, and the people moved back to make room for him as two other people, who Riff assumed immediately to be the Divine Healers, accompanied the man.

"That man..." Adrian trailed off quietly. "He's the Grand Apothecary. The two behind him are two of the Divine Healers. You already know the woman is Briana, and the other is Riley. But...where's Sven?"

Riff looked at the Divine Healers; indeed, Sven was not among them. The man standing beside Briana was not one that Riff recognized, but he had a hunch of who it was.

"That man beside Briana...he's Riley, right?" Riff asked. Adrian gave a quick nod as Riff looked a bit more closely at Riley. Riley was a tall man, probably about Riff's height, and his dark brown hair (which, Riff noted, was about the same shade of hair as Cassandra's except slightly darker) was tied back in a short ponytail. He had somewhat pale tan skin, and he was long limbed for sure. He had muscle, that was noticeable from underneath the black uniform with silver buttons on the coat, and Riff immediately assumed that he must be quite physically strong, too.

Most notable, Riff noticed, were Riley's eyes. They were a deep crimson, like the red of a fire mixed with the red of blood taken straight from a vein. The eyes were focused completely on the Apothecary, before switching to the crowd, before-

The eyes made contact with Riff's own eyes.

Riff immediately looked away, but then looked at him again. The eyes were still focused on him, but it was no glare of mistrust, nor anything cold like Riff had seen in Briana's eyes when he saw her stomp past him and Adrian the previous day. It was a gentle look, almost full of grace like Sven had gazed at Cassandra and given the older man his blindfold.

Then Riley looked away, focusing his attention on the Apothecary. Riff knew he had to focus too, to see what spectacles the Apothecary created.

In the next fifteen minutes following, Riff saw the blind regaining sight, the deaf being able to hear. The lame people walked and the previously mute ones now shouted for joy.

The Apothecary could truly, literally heal people. Riff felt bad for not bringing Cassandra; perhaps the Apothecary could get Cassandra's sight back...

But before Riff could linger any further on his thoughts, a chorus of loud roars and the screams of people made him turn and stare at the monstrous beings that appeared out of nowhere.

* * *

Cassandra and Sven crept through the alleys, not wishing to be seen by anyone.

"You skipped the festival to find me?" Cassandra asked in disbelief.

"Yes. And I also had to take care of Leroy." Sven spoke quietly, and he hesitated before continuing. Cassandra assumed he must be looking around cautiously, in case anyone was nearby. "We have to be really silent, as we're nearing the town square. Be careful."

"Right."

Before the two could continue sneaking about, a loud roar and several screams alerted them. Cassandra cringed at the sound of the screams as Sven let out a gasp of alarm.

_"Down!" _

Cassandra felt himself being pushed down as a loud growl and loud foosteps rushed past them. The two were silent, and then Cassandra spoke up, fearing that one of them could be possibly hurt.

"Are you alright?" Cassandra asked. He felt Sven help him sit up.

"Yes." Sven responded hoarsely. "But those things just now...they were creatures of evil. They shouldn't be existing in this village..." He paused before launching into an explaination. "Those things are called Cimmerians. Deadly creatures, they are...They feed off the flesh of humans and other creatures. It's a miracle that we didn't get hurt."

"Sven?" Cassandra asked as the two stood.

"Yes?" Sven inquired.

"...Considering that we're close to town square and they just passed us...Wouldn't that mean that they're probably heading towards there? There's a festival going on, and that means there would be more people there..."

"Oh no." Sven muttered under his breath. "You're right. C'mon!"

Cassandra felt himself getting pulled by the arm sharply, being forced to run.

"What about the whole 'hiding from the townspeople because you were skipping the festival to find me' plan?" Cassandra asked, surprised by Sven's sudden actions.

"I don't care! Those people will be dead meat if they don't realize a horde of Cimmerians is upon them!"

* * *

Riff and Adrian had no idea what to do in the midst of the chaos.

People were screaming, people were running and getting attacked, and Riley and Briana's attempts to fight the creatures were not helping much. The Apothecary was shouting things like "My people, calm yourselves as your screaming will only provoke them further!" but it was far too late for such warnings.

Riff took out a gun and started shooting at the beasts as Adrian instinctively took out a knife, ready to stab any that came near. They knew they had to defend themselves and get the heck out of here, quickly. It wasn't safe-

That was when Riff spotted a certain blindfolded man rush into the midst of the beasts, accompanied by a familiar blond-haired Divine Healer.

"Adrian!" Riff pulled on Adrian's arm lightly, pointing. "What's Cassandra and Sven doing here?" He asked in disbelief.

"Crap." Adrain muttered, starting to run over to the two. "They're going to get killed if we don't get them out of here. C'mon!"

* * *

"This isn't good..." Cassandra heard Sven as the two finally got to the town square. "This isn't good. Quite a few villagers are dead already..."

_Dead already... _The two words stuck out in Cassandra's mind, and he immediately thought of Riff and Adrian. "Sven. Riff and Adrian, they're here because they said they would tell me about the Apothecary when they got back...Do..." He hestiated before asking quietly, "...Do you think...They might be dead?"

"Let's hope not." Was all Sven replied with the same quietness. Before Cassandra could respond, he heard a loud growl, and he immediately knew that they were surrounded by the beasts. "Darn it..."

Cassandra wanted to mentally slap himself right there. _Why didn't I have a sword, or some sort of sharp weapon!? _The ex-Hierophant of Delilah wailed to himself in his mind. _Now I'm going to die, because of all these stupid beasts ripping me apart..._

Before he could continue in his thoughts, he felt his right and left hands grasp onto two things, and he knew what those things were.

He was holding onto two swords.

_What? _The blades shouldn't exist here in his hand. He didn't have any sword with him, nor did Sven, he supposed. _But...Then...Why...How?_

He didn't have much more time to think, as he instinctively lunged forwards and swung at the beasts, feeling the the blade connect with flesh and rip it apart. He felt himself spinning, feeling the blade connect with flesh several times as the beasts' screams echoed in his ears. He ducked down as he sensed something trying to smack him in the face, before he rolled to the left and quickly got up, disarming another creature and slashing its flesh, too.

He remembered this feeling, the feeling of wanting to simply destroy whatever it was in the way. He remembered it back when he was about to run Jizabel through with a sword.

_But wait...what happened after I tried to run him through? Did the attack actually meet my target? No, no, it didn't. But then what happen-_

Cassandra felt himself getting slashed in the chest, and he staggered backwards. Feeling an odd burning sensation at where the creature struck him, he cringed in pain. He knew it wasn't good, and he shouldn't be preoccupied with his thoughts at the moment. He mentally cursed himself for that, before suddenly going into a quick spin and slashing the beast with the two blades, before stepping forwards and stabbing it with both blades. He heard the creature let out a weak roar, before the sound of a thud occurred.

Cassandra knew, right then, that he'd killed every single beast in the town square, and he didn't even need eyes to realize it. He felt the weight of the blades suddenly vanish, and he promptly put a hand to his face, feeling something sticky and liquidy come in contact with his skin.

_Is it blood?_

He touched his arms, grabbed at his shirt, and touched a few strands of his hair. The same feeling occurred at those places, too, and he had a feeling he must be completely drenched in blood. The feeling of it made him sick, and he staggered backwards, about to fall, just as he felt strong arms support him.

"Cassandra?" Adrian's alarmed voice was the last thing Cassandra heard clearly. "Cassandra! Can you hear me!?"

Cassandra tried to say something in the midst of all the pain, but he couldn't. His mind was getting fuzzy, and he felt as if he was losing consciousness. The ex-Hierophant felt himself getting weaker and weaker until he couldn't feel anything anymore, completely losing consciousness.


	8. Even

_8. Even_

_Cassandra._

He couldn't see in whatever this place was, but he could definitely hear the voice.

_Cassandra?_

Why was this voice familiar? It was a feminine voice for sure, a little deep with some sort of gentle tone to it. Who was it-no, wait, was it...

"Justice?" Cassandra whispered quietly, cautiously. "Is that you?" He wanted to move, but he couldn't. His limbs were still and all he could move was from above his shoulders. His whole body felt numb; as if someone had given him highly effective painkillers only moments ago.

Two arms wrapped about him gently; one around his waist while the other reached upwards and touched the back of his head, before trailing towards where his eyes would have been. The touches replaced where he felt numbness with an emannating warmth, soothing but sharp like needles at first, and he nearly let out a hissing gasp at the touches. He heard a soft breath, before Justice spoke.

_Your eyes... _He tried to visualize her in front of him in his mind, with no blindfold over the golden-amber eyes of hers, tried to visualize her holding him like this but she looked really blurry.

"Someone gouged them out." Cassandra answered quietly, unsure of what else to say. He felt strangely warm all over his body by now, and then a sudden pain in his chest. He cringed, his arms finally obeying him as he brought his hands to his chest, holding it tightly. "Ah-what-" He tried to say, his voice sounding suddenly weak, but that was when she spoke again.

_You're waking up. _Cassandra immediately visualized her features clearly; her face looking grim as her voice took a wistful sort of tone. _I'm in-I'm with- _she tried to say, but she closed her mouth, biting her lip slightly as she began to let go of him.

"What? Where are you?" Cassandra whispered back, not wanting her to let go. The more she let go of him, the more numb he felt, and he honestly didn't want to feel numb all over again. The pain in his chest was throbbing more, now, and it was more fiercer than ever.

_I am with the Spirit Eaters, do not bother looking for me- _In his mind, her image appeared to waver, as if it was just a mere illusion.

"No! No, I'm going to find you and I will get you away from whatever those bloody things are!" Cassandra shouted now, growing frustrated. He visualized her touching his eyelids one last time, before saying three words.

_You have changed._

Cassandra was only able to answer with two words, shortly before his vision of her went black.

"I know."

* * *

He heaved a gasp as he woke suddenly, pain gnawing away at his chest and his arms immediately tried to clutch at his chest once more, but they were pinned down by two strong hands. He tried to scream, tried to say something but before he could, Riff's familiar voice interrupted him.

"Lord Gladstone, please calm down! You're awake now!" Riff sounded terrified, and Cassandra assumed most likely horrified by the fact that Cassandra was acting like this.

Cassandra fell silent and stopped moving. The pain was still trying to gnaw and bite at him, but it wasn't as sharp as it was before. He'd never acted like this...Wait.

"Did I...talk in my sleep?" Cassandra whispered, realizing his voice was so hoarse that he barely recognized it as his own.

"Yes, Cassandra." An unfamiliar, deep voice responded as he felt the two hands gently let go of his wrists. "You were murmuring a name, Justice, I believe." He paused before continuing. "Excuse me for forgetting to introduce myself. I am Riley, one of the Divine Healers. Sven healed most of your injuries before leaving you in my hands. He said he would come back and bring two children, I believe...Maryweather and Leroy, to see you. I think those were the children's names."

Riley. Cassandra remembered that name. He'd never seen or heard the man's voice before, but he remembered Adrian mentioning him before. And Leroy...oh, right. Cassandra had wanted to talk to Leroy face to face about...what happened before...Sven must have decided to bring Leroy to him when he got injured and passed out earlier. That made sense...

Wait, wait, back to the main subject first; the talking in his sleep and the dream (if it was a dream, Cassandra wasn't sure) that occured in the midst of his unconsciousness.

Cassandra and Riley spoke at the same time.

"What are Spirit Eaters-"

"Who is this Justice exactly-"

And they both stopped. Before either one could continue, however, that was when the sound of a door slamming open suddenly and Carina's voice was heard.

"Is Cassandra awake yet!?" Carian spoke, an alarmed tone being quite obvious in her voice. "Sven and the two children are here, and Sven-Sven's injured!"

"What!?" Riley's voice took on a more serious tone. "How-Wait...Wait." Riley hesitated before asking, "Was there blood seeping out of the back of his shirt?"

Carina seemed to falter before speaking one word. "Yes." She whispered it quietly, as if scared to death by Riley's voice alone.

"Oh no." Cassandra heard Riley mutter under his breath before speaking to Carina. "Can you watch over him? I'll be attending to Sven..." Footsteps and the closing of a door was heard right afterwards.

Not long after that, however, the door creaked open once again, and smaller, softer footsteps slowly became a little louder, before suddenly stopping in their tracks.

Cassandra knew, right there without even seeing, that it was Leroy standing only a few paces away from him.

* * *

Leroy hadn't believed Sven when the Divine Healer told the boy of what Cassandra had done to save the villagers from the Cimmerians. He hadn't believed the news of Maryweather and Cassandra meeting and talking; with Cassandra defending Maryweather when Briana was so rude to interfere. He hadn't believed the fact that Cassandra's eyes were gouged out, leaving him permanently blind.

But now, seeing the older man; Lord Cassandra Gladstone, who had abused him and done all sorts of horrid things to him before...

The man lying in the bed looked like a mere _shell_ of what Cassandra Gladstone used to be. Cassandra Gladstone would never look so vulnerable, or weak. He would never be that majorly injured, and Leroy knew that Cassandra never had any scars to marr his body. And the eyes, those dark amber eyes that glittered wtih lust and longing before...they weren't there anymore.

_I really doubt if he had eyes still, that they'd reflect anything that I saw in the past. They'd probably reflect somethin' different._

Leroy was about to take another step closer, but then that was when the older man spoke up.

"So, you finally came, boy." The voice was weak, but it was obvious it was Cassandra's voice. Leroy knew it too much, from before he found himself in this strange world. He'd never heard Cassandra sound this weak, though. It wasn't like Cassandra to sound this weak. "Surprised to see me in such a state?" Cassandra let out a weak smirk as he continued. "I bet you never thought you'd see the day that our roles would be reversed. You, the one having more strength than me for once. That's something I never expected, too."

Leroy hesitated before responding as he slowly took a few steps closer to Cassandra. "Yeah, I get what you mean." He muttered quietly in response. Before he could continue, however, the older man spoke up again.

"Riff, Carina...Could you please leave? I..." Cassandra let out a weak cough before finishing. "I want to speak with Lati-uh, _Leroy_...Alone." Riff and Carina exchanged glances, before leaving the room and shutting the door behind them. Leroy and Cassandra were silent until Cassandra spoke up again. "Better?"

"Yes." Leroy responded as he finally stood by the bed. Cassandra tried to move his arms, tried to lift them, and he cringed in pain, pausing the action and instead putting them back down. "You can't even move properly..."

"I was damaged that much. Do you _think_ I would be able to move as if I was alright, let alone be able to move my limbs just the slightest without feeling pain?" Cassandra retorted bluntly, before letting out a sharp gasp of pain one of his hands clutched his chest. The hand let go of its owners chest and trailed back to his side.

Leroy looked at the scars on Cassandra's chest carefully. They definitely looked like long, deep scratches, but it was hard for him to tell since those wounds closed up; probably due to Riley or Sven healing him earlier. But they definitely must have hurt an awful lot at the time...

"Leroy." Leroy looked towards Cassandra's face. The older man had pulled down his blindfold, eyelids blinking as Leroy realized there really _were _no eyes in the sockets, the flesh formerly surrounding the eyes having a somewhat greyish tone. "Does this..." Cassandra appeared to give a pained expression as he used one of his hands to point at his face, "Make us even? Does all this that's happened to me put us on the same level? Heh..." the older man let out a sad sigh as he slowly turned his head towards Leroy. "You're not the only one whose body is ruined anymore."

Leroy paused, thinking of what to say. _Make us even? Does it really...put us on the same level? _The young boy thought about it a bit more before finally answering Cassandra's question.

"Almost."

Cassandra appeared to look slightly surprised, but Leroy just continued. "I admit that both our bodies are ruined in some way, but...I don't fully trust you. Even if you're unable to move. You could still use those weird abilities of yours to make me your slave or something again, and-"

"I get it." Cassandra's tone of voice took a wistful, more melancholy tone. "I understand. And about my abilities..." Cassandra hesitated before asking, "Do I really still wield them? Or did I lose them? I never...I haven't tried them. But I highly doubt my abilities are still in existence..." He bit his lip slightly, but spoke right afterwards. "Let me tell you this, Leroy...I will prove to you that I can be trusted, at any cost."

The tone of voice in that very last line...it was serious. It wasn't full of any joke, or sarcasm, it was solemn and Leroy knew that Cassandra was dead serious about it.

Leroy just gave a solemn nod. "Go ahead and start trying, then." He turned, heading towards the door when Cassandra spoke once more.

"Oh, and Leroy?" Cassandra let out a cough before finishing. "You, Maryweather and Loanna are welcome to hear a nice little story from me anytime."

Leroy just glanced back at the older man once, before leaving the room and closing the door behind him.

* * *

**Author note: And Leroy and Cassandra finally talk. I'm happy about it. :)**

**Special thanks goes to Leonard Hoyden for reviewing the fic for the last three chapters, and I hope you readers enjoyed this chapter, too. Thanks! **


	9. Lost

**_9. Lost_**

_The cracking of a whip echoed in the hall, harmonizing the yowls of pain coming from Sven's vocal chords. The Divine Healer was tied to a pillar, shirtless as Briana delivered a thirty-third lashing to the blond healer's back, blood dripping from the wounds and down the pale skin. Some older wounds even reopened in the process of this torture. _

_"You skipped the festival for the sake of finding this 'Cassandra Gladstone?' It's a sad excuse." The Apothecary's voice echoed above the gasps of pain and the sounds of the whip. _

_"At least he saved the vast majority of the villagers from those Cimmerians! If I hadn't, they would all die!" Sven snapped back, before getting another lashing. He let out cough as the Apothecary continued._

_"Don't you talk back to me, fool." The Apothecary hissed as Sven was finally released from his bonds. Briana spun him around to face the Apothecary, who was now walking towards him. "Give me the key to Cain Hargreaves' cell. I'll be looking over him."_

_Right after that, Sven let out a chuckle, his bloodied lips turning upwards into a grin._

_"Why are you laughing?" Briana snapped, pulling Sven roughly by his hair. Sven let out a quick gasp of pain before continuing to grin._

_"...I gave him the key. He's probably gone by now, I bet. Probably gone to find one of his...allies." He spoke after a moment of silence. "You're too late."_

* * *

"Sven? Are you going to be okay?" Maryweather asked, concern in her voice as Adrian tied bandages about Sven's bare torso and back. Before she got over to this place where Cassandra and Riff were living at, she remembered seeing Sven stumble into the room where he'd been letting Leroy and Maryweather stay in and telling them to pack up as many things as they could and get ready to go. The older man was weak, and injured, and Leroy had to help him stay upright as they traveled to the house.

"Y-yes, Maryweather...I'll be fine." Sven responded quietly, before turning to Loanna who spoke next.

"...Would a cookie make you feel better?" Loanna asked, looking equally concerned. "Carina said that people should eat otherwise they're not going to end up very well health-wise..."

"Yes, Loanna. Thank you." Sven responded quietly. Loanna quickly ran out of the room, obviously going to retrieve said cookie. Riley rushed into the room, and as soon as he saw Sven, he sat down beside him.

"I can't believe you skipped the festival..." Riley trailed off as he inspected Sven's bandaged upper half.

"I had to talk with Cassandra." Sven responded quietly, looking downwards. "How is...His condition, currently?"

"He's a bit better now. Still in pain, but at least the wounds are closed up. It might be a while before he can go outside again; he was burned and scratched up quite a bit..." Riley paused before making eye contact with Sven. "But I didn't think it was possible...That he was able to summon the twin blades they talk about in those legends."

"Legends?" Maryweather asked. "Twin blades? Can you explain?"

Riley glanced at Maryweather, before nodding. Just as he was about to start, Riff and Carina stepped into the room.

"Cassandra told us to leave so he could speak with Leroy in private." Riff explained immediately as he stood by Maryweather. Carina, on the other hand, took a seat across from Riley as he started to speak in reply.

"I see...Well then, I should get on with explaining the legend that I was asked about just now." Riley responded, taking a deep breath before starting. "Legend has it that a warrior, unable to see physically, will destroy the evil in this world. He summons blades that look exactly alike and are exactly alike, and his movements in battle are almost...as if he was a dancer, if I'm correct. Cassandra has fit those things entirely so far. Could it be possible that _he _might be the one?"

"It could be, if you take those points into account." Sven responded quietly as he crossed his arms. "But does a hero cause a massacre in the past?"

"You heard about the Crimone Gardens incident?" Riff asked, confused. "Who told you?"

"...Cain Hargreaves. He was being kept prisoner by the Apothecary for trespassing." Sven finally admitted after a brief moment of hesitation. "I gave him the key prior to me going to meet Cassandra; I wanted him to escape. It's one of the reasons why I'm in this injured state. Cain told me all about Cassandra and what he's done. It's a terrible thing, I know, as well as abusing Leroy, but he really seems to regret those things, now..."

Everyone went silent for a moment, until Loanna came back with a tray of cookies. "I thought all of us might need something to eat..." She trailed off awkwardly, putting the tray on a nearby table before turning towards Sven and handing a cookie from the tray to him.

Sven smiled a bit, before patting the girl's head gently with one hand and receiving the cookie. "Thank you for bringing all of these for us, Loanna. You're very kind to take all of us into consideration." He responded softly, before taking a bite out of the cookie.

Before anyone else could speak, everyone heard a rapping sound at the back door. "I'll get it." Adrian muttered, before heading into the hallway. The sound of a door opening was heard, before a thump and a sound of someone shouting 'Dang it!' immediately drew Riff's attention. Before anyone else could do a thing, the silver-haired butler ran into the hallway after Adrian, and saw-

Cain, holding Jizabel who had just collapsed into his arms. He and the doctor's much shorter and younger-looking assistant was trying to carry the unconscious doctor, and Adrian eventually helped them get the doctor into a somewhat upright position so that it would be easier to carry him.

"Lord Cain..." Riff trailed off. The three looked up, and Cain made immediate eye contact with him.

"Riff. We have to get my half-brother healed, now." Cain spoke, the golden-green eyes alert with worry. "He got hurt in the midst of my escape."

* * *

_Cain rushed down the hallway, and turned to the left, only to run into a uniformed soldier. "Crap." Cain muttered under his breath as the soldier took out his sword, ready to stab Cain in the face-_

_Only to suddenly get his throat slit, the soldier's eyes widening as he fell to the ground and bled to death. A familiar, tall doctor with silver hair stood beside the new corpse, along with his short, youthful-looking assistant. _

_"I'm sorry, but only I have the authority to take my brother's eyes for my own." Jizabel spoke quietly, before looking up at Cain, the bluish-grey irises giving a sincere look. _

_"Can we call it a truce for now?" Cain spoke up. "There's guards after me, and we can't stick around here."_

_"I'm aware of that. I overheard the so-called Grand Apothecary and one of his assistants yelling at the guards to go and kill you." Jizabel responded, before turning to continue down the hallway. "All we have to do is keep running. Otherwise you will be dead."_

* * *

**Author note: ...Ehhh...Not my best chapter. I was hoping to have some more one-on-one conversations here, but at least you can kind of see here that this takes place while Cassandra and Leroy are talking with each other. All sections in this fic that are completely italics are flashbacks, if you didn't understand why they are that way. Hopefully next chapter will be better, and thank you to you readers for reading and reviewing!**


	10. Explanations

**_10. Explanations _**

"Let me try to make sense of this in a brief form." Adrian spoke up after Cain finished explaining how in the world he ended up here. "You were trying to look for Riff." He gestured to Riff as he spoke, and Cain nodded before motioning him to continue. "However, you got captured by the Apothecary and the Divine Healers for trespassing in their headquarters, and you got locked up. Sven," He gestured to Sven before continuing, "Was in charge of keeping you prisoner. He informed you about Maryweather and promised you that he would take good care of her."

"Right." Cain responded, nodding once more and crossing his arms. "Eventually Sven slipped me the key to my cell so I could escape. And in the process of escaping, I ran into my half-brother and his midget assistant. End of story."

"I'm not a midget!" Cassian snapped, pointing a throwing knife at Cain as Riley finished healing Jizabel's arm wound. Jizabel just gave Cassian a small shake of his head, and Cassian let out a sigh and put the knife away.

"Well, you are short..." Cain trailed off quietly as Riff let out a sigh. The raven-haired teen then turned to his loyal manservant. "I'm assuming that you were with Lord Gladstone the whole time, weren't you?"

"Yes, Lord Cain." Riff responded quietly, nodding once. "Lord Gladstone and I entered the village shortly after I helped him get through the forest and a cave. He was injured, and his eyes were gouged out, so I had to guide him to a place where people wouldn't notice us too much. We went into the bookshop, where Carina almost kicked us out because she assumed we were drunkards."

Carina put her face in her hands, shaking her head as Cain gave Riff an odd look, as if to say, _Really? _but Riff continued. "After realizing that we were not drunkards, she immediately let us stay here, of course, on the condition that we earn our keep. Gladstone couldn't do much at the time and instead tried to get used to his surroundings while I ran errands for Carina. Eventually Adrian and I figured it would be okay for Cassandra to go outside for once, as he needed the fresh air."

"Let me guess what happens next." Jizabel interrupted him, standing. "You and Adrian went to the butcher's to get food while Cassandra waited for you both in the village square. Maryweather, my half sister, ran into him, and they started talking with each other."

"Hold it!" Sven exclaimed, interrupting Jizabel. "I hate to interrupt, but...You and Cassian were there when Cassandra stood up against Briana?"

"Yes." The silver-haired doctor responded, crossing his arms. "We were in the crowd, so of course none of you would have noticed us. I did see that Cassandra has his, ahem, lack of eyes, so you don't need to tell me that."

"Were you and Cassian there during the incident hours ago?" Riley asked.

"Yes, we were there long enough, while we were helping my half-brother escape, to see the so-called _'Grand'_ Apothecary do nothing to protect the villagers while Cassandra slayed every Cimmerian in the square."

Before anyone else could speak, they heard a few pained yelps, a few noises that sounded like banging against a wall, and a few slurred words in which Riff figured were probably words not meant to be said in front of children. Eventually, Cassandra came into the room, assisted by Leroy. The older man's shirt wasn't buttoned properly, revealing the scars left behind by the Cimmerians, and he wasn't wearing his blindfold, either.

Cain stared at Cassandra, surprised. _Sven definitely wasn't joking when he said that Cassandra had his eyes gouged out literally... _

Carina let out a scowl. "Cassandra Gladstone, you need to get back to bed this instant!" She snapped, walking towards him and grabbing him by the wrist. "I don't care how much you're going to complain, but Riley and Sven both said that you need rest if you're going to recover from your injuries-"

"Well, it's awfully hard to rest if you hear a scuffle of sorts downstairs, accompanied by Earl Hargreaves screaming _'Dang it!'_ at the top of his lungs!" Cassandra responded quickly, before looking at the others. "I had to get Leroy to help me get more properly clothed and assist me downstairs. It probably explains everything else you heard just now."

Carina let out a sigh, before turning to Leroy. "Just get him into a chair, alright?"

"You could hear me?" Cain asked Cassandra. "I didn't think I was that loud."

"Yes, I could." Cassandra muttered quietly as he was being seated. "Can't you be a little sorry for disturbing an injured man?"

"Will you two please stop fighting?" Adrian groaned, shaking his head slightly. "It's not going to help anyone." He then turned to Loanna, Leroy and Maryweather. "Um, can you three go upstairs? Wherever this conversation is going, I don't think it would be best for any of you to hear anymore."

"Can we bring the cookies upstairs?" Loanna asked.

Carina let out a quiet sigh. "One each, alright? And don't make too much of a mess." As soon as the children walked out of the room, she turned to Cassian. "Um, you too-"

"I'm not a child, I'm thirty-five years old! I can handle this!" Cassian snapped, sounding really annoyed now as he crossed his arms.

Sven looked a bit surprised. "Is this true?" He asked Jizabel, who merely nodded in response. "Oh...Never mind, then. He can stay." He paused before starting to speak. "If you're wondering why I was injured in the first place when I got here along with Maryweather and Leroy, it was because I was being punished due to skipping the festival."

"You were _whipped _for what you did for me?" Cassandra asked, his tone of voice a bit hoarser now. Cain and Jizabel exchanged glances at Sven's statement. "I can't believe...That...But, I can't see, anyway."

"You can't see. But that doesn't mean you can't touch and feel." Sven responded quietly before turning to Riley. "Maybe you can help me remove those bandages-"

"No. You're going to get an infection." Riley responded sharply, giving him a look that said '_There's no point of it...'_

"You don't need to actually make me touch your scars. I'm fine, thank you." Cassandra muttered quickly. He paused, before turning to Riley. "I don't think you ever explained to me what in the world Spirit Eaters were."

"Oh, right..." Riley paused for a moment, before speaking. "Spirit Eaters are beings that basically eat the souls of any human they can snatch up, hence the name. They lure injured, lost ones to a place where the prey thinks they will be taken care of, and they are, in a way...Right before they get their soul eaten up. I heard some of those very creatures roam outside the village. Cassandra, if you and Riff actually made it into here through the woods, you probably and luckily didn't run into any of them. Otherwise, you might have been dead before you could reach the village." He crossed his arms after that momentarily, before letting out a quiet sigh.

"And Justice said that she was with the Spirit Eaters..." Cassandra trailed off under his breath, but Jizabel heard him.

"You ran into her, Cassandra?" Jizabel asked, confusion taking form on his face.

"Well, if you count seeing her in your unconsciousness 'running into her,' then yes, I did...Dang it!" Cassandra muttered, putting his head in both hands. "No wonder she told me not to find her...Otherwise she might already be dead by the time I do!"

"Since now we're on the topic of the Major Arcana..." Jizabel trailed off, pausing before continuing. "I'm sure I saw the Hermit earlier while I was on the run alongside Cassian and Cain. He was trying to tend to some bystanders injured by the Cimmerians."

"So, Zenopia made it here, too?" Cassandra paused before finishing. "If that's the case, it's possible the others such as White Owl and Moon might be around...And most likely the Cardmaster, too..."

"And...What in the world is this Major Arcana exactly?" Carina asked. "I don't get what in the world you two are talking about."

Jizabel and Cassandra seemed to exchange glances, before they launched into an explanation about the orginization they belonged to, and the events that happened prior to ending up in the village.

* * *

"I don't like this." Briana stood opposite the Apothecary, the two speaking in hushed tones. "That Cassandra Gladstone; there's something about him I think is a threat to you and the Divine Healers. And those swords he used to fight the Cimmerians earlier...Don't you think that they match the ones described in the myths of the legendary hero?"

"Indeed, Briana." The Apothecary responded quickly, crossing his arms. "If Cassandra truly does match the hero...He might be the end of us. We must watch for him carefully, and annihlate him when we have the chance."

"Sir...Consider that order to be already done."


	11. Night Talk

_11. Night Talk_

Cassandra groaned softly as he woke up for the third time, seeing nothing but darkness and feeling nothing but the blanket that covered him and-

Wait. What? Cassian should be to his right...And then Jizabel should be...Wait, _wait_. Jizabel is a little farther than Cassandra, but still in the same bed. But where is Cassian? The Trump Card should be sleeping right between him and Jizabel...Perhaps Cassian went outside?

"Cassandra?" Cassandra blinked a bit as he heard Jizabel's voice. "I see you finally noticed Cassian not being here." Cassandra sensed Jizabel shift slightly on the bed, to make himself more comfortable probably.

"You're still awake?" Cassandra asked in disbelief.

"I am still awake." Jizabel confirmed quietly. "Cassian left the room about a few minutes ago. He's probably just wandering the halls. I've seen him do that whenever he can't sleep. And as for me...I can barely sleep. I'm not the type to be a deep sleeper, unlike other people."

Cassandra felt like saying something to the young doctor, like _You should seriously try to get some sleep _or something like that, but he felt that Jizabel would most likely ignore his advice. The only reason he, Cassian and Jizabel were sharing this room anyway was because there were no guest rooms in this house. Cain and Riff were sharing one room, Carina, Maryweather and Loanna shared another, and Leroy, Adrian, Sven and Riley were all stuck sleeping in the living room downstairs.

"Hopefully we can find Zenopia in the morning." Cassandra spoke up after a moment of silence, changing the subject adruptly. "I think his assistance will be needed."

"I do agree with that." Jizabel murmured quietly in response.

_"We can get Zenopia to examine your injuries further in the morning." _Jizabel explained to Cassandra hours earlier, after all the explaining about Delilah was done and Carina forced Cassandra to go back upstairs and get some more rest. _"As far I can see, it's amazing how you haven't gotten any infection from your eyes being gouged out, and when the Cimmerians first scratched you, Riley mentioned that some of the wounds closed up right afterwards. The fire they emmanate from their paws somewhat cauterized the wounds they made. Heh, ironic, isn't it...That they intended to kill you and ended up partially saving your life instead."_

The two went silent once more, before Cassandra spoke up again.

"I tried to telepathically communicate with Justice. It's something we're able to do in our unconsciousness, considering that our power is based around hypnosis and other psychic abilities." He paused, before continuing. "I haven't heard from her since that one time. It's frustrating and...If she's dead..." He left the sentence hanging, but he figured that Jizabel probably knew what he might say to finish that statement.

"I doubt she would go down without a fight, Cassandra." Jizabel responded. Cassandra turned his head to face him. "You know how strong she can be. She isn't going to let any sort of barrier get in her way."

"...True."

* * *

Cassian really couldn't sleep. He'd snuck out of the room he, Jizabel and Cassandra were sharing and wasn't really sure of what to do next. He just leaned against the wall, thinking about everything that happened.

How did he end up in this place again? He only remembered Cassandra rushing at Jizabel with that sword, and Cassian was more than prepared to throw a knife at the ex-Hierophant. But then something happened, and there were screams of pain and...Ugh. Cassian couldn't remember anything after that.

"Cassian?"

He turned, to see the familiar girl with ravened black hair, standing a few steps away from him.

"Why are you out of bed already? It's not morning."

Dang it, what was her name? Loanna? Right...

"Kid, I was about to ask you the same question." Cassian responded, turning to face her and taking a step or two closer.

Loanna's face seemed to scrunch up a little in confusion. "You're a kid yourself..."

"Loanna, I'm thirty-five years old, believe it or not." Cassian muttered quietly, letting out a sigh. "I stopped growing when I was around...Well, how old are you?"

"...Ten." She responded after a moment, holding up all her fingers.

"Yeah, I stopped growing two years after that." Cassian responded. "My parents sold me to a circus because of that, and I wasn't treated any better there. One of the people at the circus claimed to love me, but...She was actually placing bets with the Ringmaster for whether I would actually fall for her or not."

"What did you do?" Loanna asked, her head tilting to the side (_just like any curious child would,_ Cassian thought to himself).

"What do people do in fairytales if they're jealous of someone? Let's take Snow White for example." Cassian responded, crossing his arms. "The evil Queen was jealous of her, and I hope you know what she tried to do to that girl."

"...Kill her?" Loanna's eyes seemed to widen a bit, terror slowly replacing her confusion. "You killed her?" She repeated quietly.

"The Ringmaster, too." Cassian responded. "It wasn't a pretty sight. I could probably rattle on and on for hours about how I joined the organization Dr. Disraeli and Cassandra belong to and stuff, but I don't think you want to know." He hated to be blunt about it, but eventually the kid was going to have to see reality.

"..." Loanna paused, terror vanishing as she took a deep breath and spoke up. "I don't know who my mommy and daddy really are. I lived in the orphanage, until it burned down when I was five. Carina let me live with her and..." She paused for a moment, before continuing. "I think that was when the Divine Healers and the Apothecary appeared, after the orphanage burnt down."

"You mean, they weren't here for as long as you lived? Only for the past five years?" Cassian asked, intrigued by this new piece of information. "That's...Interesting..."

"Yes. Only five years." Loanna responded, nodding a bit. "I like Sven the best out of the Divine Healers. He's the nicest. I don't like Briana, she's scary..."

"I thought you would say that." Cassian remarked, letting out a small chuckle. "I don't like Briana, either. She really isn't very nice. Riley seems to be alright, despite him looking intimidating and stuff. And Sven..." Cassian paused at Sven. _How fragile is that guy? He's great with kids; he acts like a parent guiding his children whenever he's with the kids, but...There's something else about him... _"Yeah, I think you're right. Sven is a nice guy." The two paused, before the Trump Card spoke up again. "I think we should probably get some sleep, okay?"

"Okay." The two started towards their rooms, but then Loanna spoke up again. "Cassian?"

"Yeah?" Cassian asked, turning towards her.

Loanna smiled at him a little. "Thanks for talking with me."

Cassian smiled back a little. "No problem, kid. Goodnight."

* * *

Sharing a bed with your master isn't exactly proper. At least, not in London, England.

But, Lord Cain had insisted upon it, and Riff knew that he shouldn't disobey his master.

_"I need you to remain healthy. And I don't think sleeping on a floor is considerably healthy for you."_

Those were Lord Cain's words exactly, hours ago.

The two hadn't fallen asleep completely as soon as they got into bed at first; instead, they talked of what was going on, about Cassandra, Jizabel and Cassian, and about the Apothecary and Divine Healers as well. It was obvious Cain did not trust Cassandra _(which made sense, because who would trust someone who abused one of your sister's friends and massacred thousands of people?),_ despite all that the older man had gone through, but Cain seemed a bit more alright once he heard that Leroy and Cassandra had made amends with each other somewhat.

Cain didn't particularly trust the Apothecary, and neither did Riff. Nor did they completely trust Jizabel and Cassian, but Cain figured if they were going to kill anyone in this house, it would probably be Cassandra, first...

Now, Riff was wide awake, but Cain was sleeping soundly beside him. The manservant let out a quiet sigh and closed his eyes, hoping that sleep would claim him. Sleeping would be a lot better right now, than staying awake and being forced to have worrying thoughts in one's head.

As much as Riff hated to admit, though, he had a feeling that something would strike soon-and most likely strike towards Cassandra first and not Cain.


	12. The Challenge

_12. The Challenge_

Maryweather sat the kitchen table, watching Carina as she poured some water into a few glasses, before putting them on the table.

"Carina?" Maryweather spoke up after a moment of silence.

Carina turned to her. "Yes?" The older woman asked, putting the water jug down. "What is it?"

Maryweather paused, before starting to speak. "I was thinking...About Sven." Carina sat down across from her, motioning for Mary to continue. "When he was taking care of me while my brother Cain was imprisoned...I noticed something about him. That he.." She bit her lip for a moment, hesitating before speaking. "He and Riley shared a close connection to each other. It's kind of like how my older brother trusts only Riff. And...Sven and Riley really don't get along with Briana."

Carina knew of how much Cain and Riff trusted each other. The seventeen-year-old earl looked quite surprised the previous day when Riff told him about everything that happened to himself and Cassandra. Carina assumed that Cain and Cassandra must not have gotten along with each other in the past; but she didn't know that Cassandra massacred thousands of people back where he came from, and abused Leroy before, too. She'd been shocked by that; who wouldn't be? Being able to kill thousands of people and abuse a child was something she wouldn't forgive...

...But then again, it was obvious. Cassandra had changed from who he once was, and he was very, very repentant of his actions and upset about the consequences that followed. He'd actually ranted to Carina several times about the issue, prior to him going outside and running into Maryweather, Sven and Briana. How long ago was it since he'd had a one-on-one conversation with her? At least a week?

Things had changed drastically in the past few days, especially right after the festival yesterday. Carina had a feeling that even more change was going to come quite soon, and that some of it might not be good.

Maryweather paused before she spoke up again. "I wonder how Sven and Riley has dealt with Briana in the past. Do you think they're only together because of the Apothecary?"

Carina hesitated, before speaking in response. "Well, if you put it that way, that does seem to be the situation. None of us here knows anything about Sven or Riley's relationship with each other or Briana or the Apothecary that well except for those people themselves. You'd have to ask them."

"Morning..." The two turned to see Adrian and the others enter the room. Some still looked a bit tired, and Jizabel and Cassian were both struggling to make Cassandra keep walking. The ex-Hierophant had the blindfold over his empty eye-sockets, but Carina knew that she didn't need to look at those to tell he was still somewhat exhausted from the previous day's events. "Did you guys get a good night's sleep?" Adrian asked.

"I would love to say yes, but that would be lying, so no I didn't." Carina responded, crossing her arms. Before anyone else could speak, there was a loud bang coming from the front of the house, and almost everyone took out a weapon. Carina picked up a clean frying pan while Cain grasped onto his cane tightly. Riff even took out his gun, putting bullets in the weapon in case someone were to try to attack suddenly. Adrian put up his fists, as he had no weapons, but then Cassian tossed him a small throwing knife.

_Keep it hidden. _Cassian mouthed to Adrian, who nodded and hid it in his trouser pocket. Jizabel hesitated for a moment, before taking out a scalpel. Cassandra followed suite, and the two swords used from the festival incident yesterday appeared in his hands. Sven and Riley, on the other hand, tried to keep the children hidden from view (Cassian included, even if he wasn't a kid).

Briana and several armed soldiers marched into the kitchen. "Cassandra Gladstone." She spoke, a glare imprinted upon her fair face. "You are under arrest for disturbing the peace."

"What?" Riley exclaimed, his eyes widening in disbelief. "How can you say something like this? Briana, if it wasn't for him, many more townspeople would have been _killed _by the Cimmerians yesterday! You can't arrest him!"

"It's the Apothecary's orders, Riley. You have _no_ say in such a matter." The other Divine Healer snapped, before backhanding him in the face. She turned to the guards. "Take away all of them." She spoke coldly, and the soldiers started to move towards them.

"Wait!" Everyone turned to Cassandra, who had spoken up. "Please, leave Carina and children out of this. They have nothing to do with this, at least let them go..." The blindfolded ex-Hierophant could only say that, before Briana backhanded him in the face as well.

Cain noticed the pleading look on Cassandra's face when he'd said that statement. He wasn't doing this out of mere kindness, he was doing this for other reasons. Cain had a feeling Cassandra didn't want Leroy going through any torture, that he didn't want Maryweather getting hurt or Loanna to cry, or for Carina to get hurt, either; and that was why he'd begged Briana to let the children and Carina go.

"Fine, since you so properly begged, you peasant." Briana muttered, before turning to the soldiers. "Let the woman and children go, but arrest all the men."

As Jizabel was partially dragged away by the soldiers, he knew that Cassandra had some sort of plan in mind. Cassian was being left behind with Carina and the kids, and Cain had a good idea that Briana probably had no idea about Cassian actually being a thirty-five-year-old with a child's body.

* * *

As soon as all the soldiers (and men) were gone, Cassian let out a sigh of relief. "For once, I'm actually thankfully for my underdeveloped body." He muttered under his breath.

"What are we supposed to do now!?" Leroy asked, turning to Carina. "We can't just stand here and let the Apothecary do what he wants with them!"

"I know..." Carina trailed off, letting out a sigh. "But if we were to initiate violence against the Apothecary, we would be heading into a death march. Everyone who has tried to go against the Apothecary never survives..."

"So I guess this means I can't throw knives at the soldiers, huh?" Cassian asked.

Carina shook her head. "No, there are more of them where they come from, anyway. There's no point of wasting weaponry..."

Loanna and Maryweather exchanged glances with each other, both unsure of what to say or do. Before anyone else could do a thing, a short, elderly man walked into the room. He wore a somewhat dirtied lab coat with a collared shirt and dark trousers and shoes. He adjusted his glasses, before turning to Cassian.

"Cassian..." Zenopia gave a nod to the Trump Card. "I'm glad to have found you." He glanced towards the hallway. "I saw Jizabel and Cassandra being dragged away by several soldiers, as well as two of the Divine Healers. I figured you were probably left behind, since I didn't see you with them."

Cassian was thankful that the Hermit finally ran into them. "Yeah. Cassandra persuaded Briana to let go of the women and children. I guess I should be grateful that I'm a thirty-five-year-old stuck in a child's body for all eternity." He responded, briefly grinning.

* * *

"Cassandra Gladstone...So we finally face each other." The Apothecary spoke as he circled around Cassandra. Adrian, Cain, Riff and Jizabel were being restrained by the guards. Sven and Riley were both tied to a post, with Briana nearby holding a whip in her hands. "The reason I got Briana to bring you here isn't due to the crimes she accuses you of. In fact, it's for a different reason entirely."

"What would that reason be?" Cassandra asked. "And if it was merely for that, why go and have your Divine Healer accuse me of crimes I did not commit?"

"I had to give a cover for something. People would be questioning why you, out of all people; the one who saved the villagers from the Cimmerians, were sent to see me." The Apothecary responded cooly, before letting out a chuckle. "I want you to prove to me you're the legendary hero that they speak of in the myths. The hero that couldn't physically see and saves this world from a great evil."

"But-" Cassandra hesitated, biting his lip for a moment before speaking. "I don't know if I'm that hero." He finally blurted out. _Me, the hero? The Apothecary must be crazy. _"Someone else could be that certain person, or-"

"You'll prove you are or die trying." The Apothecary hissed back, glaring at Cassandra. "If you can defeat Briana in a duel, you're probably that hero. If not...You're dead. Simple as that. And if you refuse my offer, your companions here will suffer a great deal."

Briana raised the whip, about to strike Riley on the Apothecary's signal. Cassandra couldn't see the actions being done, obviously, but he didn't want anyone getting hurt.

"Fine." Cassandra spat out, turning to the Apothecary. "Fine, I'll do it. But let my companions go first, or I'll go back on this deal."

"Bring them to village square and release them there." The Apothecary muttered to the soldiers, who dragged the others out of the room. He then turned to Cassandra, smirking as he crossed his arms. "You and Briana will battle in the village square. There, in front of everyone, we will see if you really are this hero or not."

* * *

**Author note: ...Yeah, I haven't updated this in a while...Sorry...**

**Life outside fanfiction has been really busy lately, so I wasn't able to really start working on this chapter until one or two days ago. I hope this makes up for the delay, and I'll try to update sooner. Thanks for your patience!**


	13. The Duel

_13. The Duel_

Cassandra stood a few paces across from Briana in the village square. Hearing the murmurs of the townspeople, he knew that they must have gathered to watch him fight Briana. Word of the Apothecary's challenge had spread through them like wildfire, and they wanted to see if he was really this legendary hero or not.

_Briana...I don't know what her abilities are in battle. I have to be careful, if I want to stay alive at the least. I think I can take her on, but..._

He blinked once, and the two swords from before appeared in his hands.

_I only wish I had a guide to help me...But Riff, who has guided me for so long, can't help me because the guards are around and I have to battle her by myself. _

_It's okay. I can adjust to this. I hope so..._

* * *

"Excuse me, but let me get this straight." Zenopia started after Carina, Cassian, and the other kids blurted out an explanation of what happened. "Some people think that the ex-Hierophant is a hero of legend that will save this world from a great evil? I find that...Odd."

"What? You don't believe it, old man?" Leroy asked.

"First off," Zenopia responded with slightly gritted teeth. "Do not call me old. Second, it's not that I don't believe the legend. However, I find it ironic that the mastermind behind the Crimone Gardens bombing would be a legendary hero for another world."

"Hey, look!" Everyone turned to Maryweather, who was looking out a window. "All the villagers...I think they're headed towards the village square." She spoke up, pointing. Indeed, there were people passing by outside, all headed in the same direction.

"...Adrian...No, he can't be..." Carina started, putting a hand to her face, before running out the door.

Cassian turned to Zenopia. "I think we should probably go after her...It wouldn't be good if she gets into any trouble.."

Zenopia nodded. "Yes. We should also be careful-" He started.

"I know my way around this village!" Loanna piped up, interrupting Zenopia. She paused, before running out the door. "C'mon! This way!" Leroy and Maryweather followed suit, leaving Zenopia and Cassian behind. Cassian let out a sigh, before starting to walk towards the door. He then stopped, and turned to Zenopia once more.

"Hermit. Do you think it's possible for Cassandra to really...You know, be all good and stuff? To be a hero? I find it all gibberish." Cassian muttered quietly.

"Cassian." The Hermit took a deep breath before responding. "Just because one does terrible things does mean he or she is completely evil, and one can always redeem themselves in a way. This is probably Gladstone's only chance to do so, whether he is the hero or not."

* * *

Cassandra let out a weak cough as Briana kicked him in the chest, causing him to trip backwards and land on the ground. He sensed Briana raising her sword above him, and he blocked it with both his blades.

_I think I fractured or broke a few ribs just now...Dang it...I don't really know how many injuries I have, but...Ow..It all hurts..._

She was a lot tougher than Cassandra expected, he admitted that. She'd knocked him backwards with flames once the battle started, and then started pounding him from then on. To put it short, he was getting his butt kicked, and he'd only been able to land a few hits on her. This was not going well.

He sensed that Briana raised her sword once more, to try to finish him off. Was he going to let her strike him again.

_Heck no. _Of course not. He was Lord Cassandra Gladstone, ex-Hierophant of Delilah, and he was not going to lose to her. At least, not that easily.

Trusting his instincts, he rolled to the left, ensnaring her leg with his feet and sending her to the ground as well. He got up quickly, and he blocked another stab from Briana, before he stabbed forwards right after that. The two blades met their target, and a loud gasp emmanated from Briana as Cassandra drove the blades deep into her chest. He then pulled them out after a moment, and blood immediately spurted from the deep wounds. Briana collapsed the ground, groaning in pain.

"Apothecary..." Briana panted, spitting some blood out of her mouth as she weakly turned her head towards her master. "Please...Heal me..."

Cassandra refrained from wanting to slash at Briana again. Would the Apothecary heal her? After all, she _was _the Apothecary's most trusted assistant...

"And why should I?" The Apothecary sharply responded. "You have _failed,_ Briana, and you are no more use to me." With those words being spoken, the Divine Healer took her last breath.

Cassandra turned to the Apothecary, pointing one of his bloodstained swords at him. "So, Apothecary..." Cassandra trailed off, taking a deep breath before continuing. "I completed your challenge. Tell me...Am I this legendary hero? Or am I just a lucky fool?"

The Apothecary hesitated, before suddenly letting out a rough chuckle. "I would say you're a fool. But considering that you killed off Briana so quickly..." Cassandra heard him smirk. "I..._Suppose_ you might actually be the hero."

"Cassandra, out of the way!" Cassandra felt himself get tackled to the side by someone. He struggled a bit, but whoever it was tightly held him down by the wrists for a few brief moments. The person then let go of his wrists, rolling off him after that. "The Apothecary nearly killed you just now! You better be happy about it!" He heard familiar voice of Cassian hiss to his left.

"Trump Card-Why-How-" Cassandra started, but Cassian quickly cut him off, helping him up as he responded quickly.

"Don't ask, you idiot." Cassian muttered in response. "Blame Zenopia and his way with words."

Despite the obvious insult, Cassandra immediately felt grateful that someone helped him out, even if it had to be the Trump Card he hated so much.

* * *

"Adrian!"

"Carina!" Adrian turned, embracing Carina quickly. "What are you doing here!?" Adrian told her, his tone frantic. "Did you try to follow us!?"

"No, you fool!" Carina muttered, slapping him lightly in the face. Adrian just stared at her, confused. "Don't give me that look. The kids and I saw the townspeople headed towards the village square and I was worried that you would be publicly _executed_! You should be grateful that I ran all the way here!"

Adrian let out a quiet chuckle. "You can keep scolding after this whole mess is done, Carina, and-" He paused as a loud gasp emmanated from the other villagers. "What the-" The two turned. "Good lord." He muttered as he stared at the Apothecary. "That can't be possible."

"It just became possible, Adrian." Jizabel muttered beside him. "Of course no one expects the Apothecary to turn in a gigantic beast with who knows how many limbs attached to it."

* * *

"Crap." Leroy muttered aloud as he stared up at the beast. "What the heck..." Maryweather and Loanna didn't say a thing, and just stared at the beast.

"What is that thing, Riff?" Cain asked.

"I hate to admit, but I think the Apothecary just turned into some sort of unidentifiable creature." Riff muttered in response.

**_"YOU WILL DIE, CASSANDRA GLADSTONE!"_ **The beast raged as more limbs protruded from its body. **_"YOU WILL DIE!"_**

"Run!" Leroy shouted, pulling the two girls out of the path of the Apothecary beast, who charged forwards.

"Dang it!" Cassian shouted as he and Cassandra also ran out of the way. "This was not what I was expecting!"

"Trump Card, no one here was expecting it!" Cassandra snapped back, before resummoning his swords. "I guess I'll have to battle this _thing _that our so-called _Grand _Apothecary has become, won't I?"

"Don't think alone." Jizabel muttered to his right, taking out a scalpel. "I really doubt you can take one a creature with that many limbs, especially that your battle with Briana has weakened you. Judging from when she kicked you in the chest earlier, you might already have broken or fractured ribs."

Cassandra just let out a humourless chuckle. "Well, then, this should be interesting." He muttered in reply.


	14. Connection

_14. Connection_

"Okay...So how exactly do we kill the Apothecary? Any suggestions?" Cassian asked as he took out a throwing knife.

"Taking into consideration that he has multiple arms, it would foolish to just run at him and try to kill him in that manner." Jizabel responded. "We would have to immobilize it, or...Take it by surprise. We could also chop off all its limbs. That should work..."

Riff shook his head. "Doctor, I don't think you know about this but the Apothecary's healing power is real. He could most likely create new limbs for himself..."

"Then we'll have to immobilize it." Jizabel responded as he turned towards Cain. "Do you have any tranquilizers of the sort from your poison collection that you might have brought along with you, half-brother?"

Before Cain could answer, Cassandra interrupted him. "Look, I'll distract the Apothecary." He spoke, pointing at the Apothecary. "All the rest of you can kill him when he's not looking. If that doesn't work, I'm not sure what else could..." He trailed off, gritting his teeth as he turned to face the Apothecary. "Apothecary!" He shouted at the multiple-armed creature. "You want to kill me!? You'll have to catch me!"

With that being said, Cassandra ran as soon as he ended his statement. The Apothecary immediately bounded after him, intent on killing him. Everyone else exchanged quick glances, before running after the two.

* * *

Cassandra knew he couldn't forever, obviously. It would be a waste of his stanima. Instead, after running for a little bit, he turned and plunged both his swords deep into the Apothecary's neck, before pulling them out and jumping back.

_Did I kill him?_

Unfortunately, the answer to Cassandra's question was no. The wounds immediately closed up as soon as the Apothecary put a hand to his own neck. Cassandra cursed, holding up his swords and bracing himself for what could happen next. _Right, right, he has healing powers. He can heal whatever he can touch, and-Wait. Wait...That's it! I know how I can disable him!_

The Apothecary spewed fire from his mouth, and Cassandra did his best to duck underneath the flames, stabbing the Apothecary in what he hoped was the lower left leg once before getting kicked to the ground. He got up quickly, bringing his swords up to shield himself from the Apothecary suddenly trying to punch him with one of his arms. Cassandra immediately took the opportunity to slash at one of the Apothecary's hands.

The attempt was a sucess as the Apothecary howled in pain, realizing that he let one of his hands get chopped off. Cassandra grinned to himself and held up both swords for a moment, before throwing one of them at the Apothecary, who caught it with an arm that was not lacking a hand. Cassandra then lunged forwards, slashing off the hand that held the sword, and the Apothecary howled in pain again.

Cassandra grasped for the disembodied hand on the ground and took the sword from it quickly, before trying to move in closer to stab the Apothecary. This attempt failed to strike the Apothecary, who grabbed Cassandra by both arms and flipped him right afterwards, resulting in Cassandra dropping both swords. Cassandra let out a groan of pain as he hit the ground, and he got up quickly, resummoning both swords to his hands before trying to slash at his arms again.

He stopped suddenly, dropping both swords and holding his head in both hands. _Dang it, it's hurting now!? It-ah-stop-no-_

Cassandra realized that he was punched in the stomach, before he was thrown against a nearby wall. The ex-Hierophant slumped to the floor, weakened by the sudden attack. He tried to get up, but the Apothecary slammed him against the wall once more. Pain travelled all over his body, hurting everywhere. Cassandra didn't know if he was bleeding or had sustained any mortal injuries yet, but he knew that the Apothecary wasn't going to give him a painless death.

The Apothecary appeared to smirk. **_"So much for trying to play hero."_ **He taunted, before two of his arms raised tight fists. Cassandra shut his eyes, expecting the pain.

And then everything just seemed to stop.

* * *

Cassandra's eyelids fluttered open as soon as he realized the Apothecary wasn't going to punch him again. He also realized that he knew someone was standing right in front of him. It wasn't Riff, it wasn't Cain, nor it was Jizabel or anyone else. It wasn't even the Apothecary. Cassandra didn't know how he knew this, but he could just feel it in his bones that it wasn't any of those people in front of him.

It was Justice.

"Justice?" He spoke aloud after a moment of stunned silence. "Why-how-" He started, but he closed his mouth, knowing that he must sound stupid. He then spoke again. "I'm sorry, but...Can I try to visualize you in my mind? I still can't...See..." He trailed off lamely, gesturing to his empty eye sockets.

"Yes." Justice murmured in response. "Go ahead, if it makes things easier for you."

Cassandra nodded once, and he immediately formed an image of her in his mind. The pretty-looking dresses she wore, the shoulder-length, wavy dark brown hair, those eyes that were often hidden behind the blindfold; Cassandra could imagine her completely, now. Last time he tried, he could only conjure up a blurry image. "Did time just stop?" He asked quietly. "Or did I already get knocked out or killed by the Apothecary?"

"Well," Justice started, and he imagined her fidgeting slightly before continuing. "You're not dead. Nor are you unconcious. And time did not stop, either. It's just that _we_ have been sped up to the point that everything else around us is at a speed even slower than a snail. It's not something I can do, the Spirit Eaters, they.." He imagined that she appeared to pause when she trailed off, and he heard her take a deep breath before continuing. "Their leader agreed to let me communicate with you one last time before I'm dead."

"Dead?" Cassandra repeated the last word. "No, Justice, I can't let you just die! I can't-I won't let them kill you. I swear, as soon as I kill that Apothecary, I will go out and find you as soon as I can. Don't die yet." He responded a bit sharper than he hoped. He then paused, before speaking again. "I'm sorry. It's just..."

"I know. You're not the only one who can actually read minds, Cassandra." Cassandra nodded as Justice ended that statement. It was true; Justice was able to read his mind and he knew this, ever since the Ritual of Regeneration. The two had somehow bonded a little over that fact, that they could 'read' each other in such a way. Their abilities were quite similar, except for the facts that Justice couldn't read other people's pasts or use hypnosis in the same way Cassandra could. "You want to help me. I know that. As much as you are the legendary hero you are apparently meant to be, the hero...You can't save everyone, Cassandra."

Cassandra didn't know what to say in response to that. Justice was right about it. It wasn't like he was able to end the fight with Briana without killing her, and same went for when he fought those Cimmerians earlier.

"Well, if that is the case..." Cassandra trailed off, pausing before asking, "What is the point of heroes existing in the first place, if they cannot save everyone?"

He felt her hand touch his face gently, and he stiffened slightly, not expecting such an action to take place.

"Heroes are there to...To do what is right, for the good of others than themselves. Yes, it may involve being unable to save everyone, but think of it this way. Which would you rather have, nine out of ten people alive or nine out of ten people dead?"

Before Cassandra could respond, he could feel in his bones that she was already gone.

* * *

Before Cassandra even realized what was happening, he suddenly held up both swords, and the Apothecary let out a howl of pain as those two hands were chopped off. Cassandra stood quickly, realizing that he now had to focus on the battle right now, no matter how much he wanted to talk with Justice more.

_How was I even able to communicate with Justice just now? I mean, it's obviously through a mental connection, telepathy, but...How? Was all of that in my head...Did time stop, possibly? How?_

_I can't focus on that right now. Right. I've got an Apothecary to take down._

* * *

"Where is Cassandra? Has anyone seen him?" Riff asked the others, who shook their heads.

"Dang it, we lost them!" Cassian muttered in frustration as he looked around. "The idiot...What was he thinking!?"

Before anyone could answer, a sudden roar interrupted them, and they turned to see the Apothecary, being forced back as Cassandra tried to slash at him with both blades. "At least they finally arrived." Jizabel muttered, taking out a scalpel and whriling it once in his hand. "Cassian, if you look carefully...I think Cassandra has done quite a bit of work to distract the beast."

Riff, taking heed of the mad doctor's words, looked closely at the Apothecary. Several of the Apothecary's hands were chopped off, and there were stab wounds all over the torso of the beast. It was obvious, though, that the Apothecary would not go down so easily due to such injuries. Riff turned to Cain, who exchanged similar glances with him. The two then took out the weapons they had on hand (Cain being the sword hidden in the cane he usually carried with him, and Riff taking out a revolver) before rushing over to help the ex-Hierophant. Cassian and Jizabel followed suite, realizing that it wasn't just the Apothecary that was suffering from physical wounds.

A crowd gathered as the fight continued, and the Apothecary was outnumbered five to one. Gunshots rang in air as various blades cut the Apothecary's skin, and limbs, forming more wounds on the body than anyone could imagine. Finally, the Apothecary was helpless, and the creature's eyes widened as Cassandra held up both swords above him.

"Apothecary...You were right." Cassandra murmured, with slightly dark chuckle emmanating from his lips before finishing. "Perhaps I'm really the hero all along."

The blades went downwards, killing the Apothecary instantly.

Cassandra collapsed onto the ground immediately afterwards, losing consciousness.

* * *

**Author note: I hope that combat scenes were good enough...I think that was the hardest part of this chapter. Sorry for the delay in updates lately.**


	15. Recovery

_15. Recovery_

"Cassandra?"

Cassandra tried to sit up as soon as he heard Riff speak, but two strong arms pushed him back down. "Cassandra, please, lie down..." Riff trailed off. "You need _rest_. The Apothecary is dead, and everyone is trying to figure out who the new leader of the village will be. You've done your part in getting rid of the Apothecary, and now the town needs to do the rest. Dr. Disraeli, Dr. Zenopia and Sven have been taking care of you since you fell unconscious."

"Riffael..." Cassandra trailed off as he sank back into the warm pillows and blankets covering his worn-out, aching body. "Let me try to get things straight. After I fell unconscious, everyone else starting worrying about getting a new leader for the village while only approximately three other people starting worrying about my welfare?" He asked, slightly skeptical and disapointed of how the situation played out without him.

"Leroy and the other children were worried, too." Riff responded quietly. "And without someone to be the leader of the village, the whole village would just fall into anarchy and things would only get worse than when under the Apothecary's rule, Cassandra. Surely you know that, at the least..."

"...Oh. My apologies..." The ex-Hierophant trailed off after a moment of silence. Before he could say anything else, however, he heard a door open and the sound of footsteps. "Hm?"

"He's awake..." Cassandra heard Sven's voice echo slightly as footsteps followed afterwards, most likely treading towards Cassandra's side. "Thank goodness. Are you alright, Cassandra?"

"I'm fine, thank you." Cassandra responded quietly, nodding once. "At least, I think so..." He cringed in pain as he tested his limbs. "On second thought...Perhaps my body is...Quite...Sore..."

"You certainly got battered about an awful lot by the Apothecary. You've got numerous bruises and cuts, a black eye socket and a possibly broken ankle! _How_ can you call yourself fine!?" Carina's voice appeared sharply, and Cassandra could visualize her scowling at him. "You should have just pretended to be asleep and get some rest, instead of trying to start moving so much...Goodness gracious, Cassandra Gladstone. You may be the legendary hero, but even _heroes_ need their rest at times."

"Carina, please calm down..." Sven trailed off quietly. "It's not going to help him."

"...Alright, alright, I'm sorry. But I truly do mean for him to get some rest. And Sven, we can't have you passing out any time soon from using up too much energy healing people, considering that we already have more than enough injured people to take care of."

"Of course." Sven let out a sigh. "At least let me tend to the ankle, though. That's easy enough to fix."

With that being said, Cassandra felt a gentle hand touching his left ankle, before suddenly feeling a gentle warmth pulse through it for a few moments. The warmth faded, and Cassandra tested his ankle, feeling no pain at all.

"Thank you." Cassandra murmured quietly, doing his best not to forget his manners at the moment. It was hard to, though, considering that his mind still felt slightly woozy from the previous battle.

"It's no problem at all, Cassandra." Cassandra heard Sven reply, before hearing soft creaking sounds similar to one sitting down in a slightly wobbly chair.

"...You were strong out there, Lord Gladstone-Erm, I mean Cassandra." Riff spoke up. Even now, despite the fact that Cassandra had told Riff to simply call him by name instead of title, the manservant of Cain sometimes forgot about it.

"You and the others helped as well. I should be thanking you and everyone else." Cassandra responded, trying to shift his position on the bed to make himself more comfortable. "If it wasn't for your support, I'm not sure if I would have been able to defeat the Apothecary."

Riff paused, before speaking. "You're welcome, Cassandra. If you excuse me, I'll be checking on Lord Cain, now."

"Go ahead, Riffael." There was the sound of footsteps, as well as a door opening and closing. Riff had most likely left the room, or at least, that was what Cassandra figured. A peaceful silence followed, and Cassandra felt something cold and damp brush against his forehead. He jerked back slightly, but Sven gently explained that he was simply cleaning a wound. Cassandra didn't even realize that he'd gotten a minor head wound in the fight until the healer mentioned it, and now its pain was what was getting the most attention from Cassandra, despite the more serious injuries.

Of course, the calm quietness was disturbed after a mere few moments, as the door suddenly burst open, and someone was heard panting and trying to catch his breath.

"Adrian!?" Carina's voice was heard. "What's going on?"

"The villagers have decided on a new leader." Adrian spoke quickly. "It's...me."

Everyone went silent, before Carina was heard speaking.

"_You,_ out of all people!? Adrian, I-I can't believe it-I-I don't even know what to say! Oh..." Carina stuttered slightly, pausing before finishing. "Come over here before I have to walk over to you and _smack_ you silly to make sure you're teling the truth, you fool..." Cassandra swore that he could hear her smile, if that was possible. She must be overjoyed by this, in the midst of all the chaos, Cassandra figured to himself.

Adrian let out a chuckle. "Of course, Carina." There were a few footsteps, and a moment later Sven let out a soft murmur of approval.

"How sweet..." The healer trailed off quietly, before continuing. "Cassandra?"

"Yes?" Cassandra turned his head a bit towards Sven as best as he could. "What is it?"

He felt a gentle hand touch his cheek, before Sven spoke up. "I'm just...I'm just glad that you're alright."

Cassandra leaned into the touch a little bit. "Thank you."

* * *

A young woman stood in a dark room, light only provided by the small lanterns that flickered about mid-air. She looked at a misty cloud, gazing at the images in it carefully before speaking up.

"Cyril?"

A man, probably about Riffael Raffit's age, walked over to her. His long, blond hair swayed as he continued to step towards her, and his light blue eyes looked at her carefully.

"What is it, Lady Eva?"

The woman paused, before speaking.

"The Apothecary can now be classified as deceased, Cyril. A person by the name of...Cassandra Gladstone...Killed him."

The man paused, before speaking up. "Surely, Lady Eva, perhaps this Cassandra could be the legendary hero spoken of in the myths?" He pointed at the image of Cassandra that appeared in the mist. "See? He has no eyes."

"That is possible." She paused, looking at the image of the recovering Cassandra before smiling a bit. "Cassandra Gladstone...It won't be long until we meet. I'm sure of it."

* * *

**Author note: ...It's been a really long while since I updated this fic...Wow...**

**Sorry about not updating in a while, I've been busy working on tons of other fics (you've seen how I've started the Delilah Files and Scattered Rose Petals and such...), as well as being busy with life in general. Hopefully, the next update for this will be a lot sooner. Thank you for your patience! **

**P.S. Lady Eva and Cyril are my OCs, therfore I own them. Same goes for all the other OCs in this fic.**


	16. Sending off

_16. Sending off_

In the next few days following the Apothecary's death, the village seemed to be almost at peace. Less and less monsters were attacking the village. Adrian, the new leader of the village, had decided to rebuild what had been destroyed during the fight between the Apothecary and Cassandra, which was needed as some villagers had their homes completely smashed up during the conflict. Sven and Riley were to act as Adrian's advisors and also continued their healing practices, except that no one would have to pay such high costs to obtain such healing anymore. The village began to prosper, and Cassandra knew that with things being stable at the village, it was a good time for him to go.

"Go?" Carina asked him quietly as she helped him stand. Cassandra had been bedridden during those few days, recovering from his injuries, but Zenopia and Jizabel had finally given the okay for him to start walking about again. "Go where?"

Cassandra paused, before answering. "I'm going to go find Justice, and save her from those Spirit Eaters. I can't let her die. After that, I'll figure out what to do from there. I don't know how the whole legend about the warrior plays out, but hopefully it'll end on a good note."

Carnia hesitated, looking at the gaping eye sockets of the older man, and then spoke again. "...I do hope so."

* * *

Every one of the villagers were chattering among themselves when they heard that the possible hero of legend was going to go journey outside of the village. Cassandra felt a bit of pride rise in him when he heard the things about him, but he swallowed it enough so he wouldn't let it overtake him. Too much pride in his abilities and actions had been his fall in the Crimone Gardens incident, after all.

_"He's going to save someone from the Spirit Eaters!"_

_"How brave!" _

_"Do you think he really is the one from the legend?"_

The last statement was definitely something to ponder on everyone's minds, even Cassandra's own mind.

Cassandra let out a sigh.

"Is there anything the matter, Cassandra?" He heard Riff speak, concerned.

Cassandra shook his head. "I just...I'm not sure if I'm really the hero. Yes, I sounded so sure when I killed the Apothecary, but...can a man who indirectly massacred thousands of people in one world be the savior of another world? It doesn't seem to make sense, honestly, but no one can ever know if they're meant to be something until they try." He replied quietly.

"I see..." Riff paused, before speaking again. "If you ever need me to help guide you through anywhere, just ask. I'm here."

"Thank you." Cassandra felt a small smile form on his face. It was weird, that the manservant of Cain Hargreaves would be so willing to help him, even though Cassandra had tried to kill him. And Cain being able to somewhat tolerate him was alright, too. Making amends with Leroy was something he didn't dare expect to happen for eons. But...all of this had happened. Cassandra knew that if he went back to the beginning, when he just arrived in this world, he probably wouldn't change a thing. Probably.

* * *

"Everyone..." Adrian paused, before continuing. "Thank you so much for helping all of us here. On behalf of everyone, I wish you all the best on your journey."

"Thank you, Adrian." Cassandra replied, nodding once. Maryweather, Leroy, Cain, Zenopia, Jizabel and the others exchanged a few smiles with each other. Hopefully things would go well...

"Um..." Carnia paused, pushing a lock of hair behind her face. "I never apologized properly for my actions in the beginning. I...honestly mistook you and Riff for...drunken men, and obviously I was wrong. I apologize." She spoke, blushing slightly of embarrassment."

"It's alright, Miss Carina." Riff reassured her quickly. "You had a good reason to mistake us for such. We should probably be the ones apologizing for barging into your shop that day."

Carnia scowled at him. "How many times have I told you not to address me as 'Miss' Carina!? I am not an elderly lady!" she huffed as Adrian and Riley let out a few chuckles.

"My apologies, Carina..." Riff trailed off sheepishly.

"Cassian?" Cassian turned to see Loanna, running over to him.

"What is it?" He asked quietly. Loanna paused, before shoving something into his hands. It was a small necklace, with a

"Um..." She paused, before looking up at him. "I made it. For you. It's supposed to be a good luck charm."

Jizabel made a curious facial expression while Adrian and Carina exchanged somewhat amused glances. He had no idea that the girl had actually bonded with his assistant...

"Thank you, Loanna. I'll put it to good use." The 'boy' spoke quietly, smiling at her. "Thank you."

Before anyone else could speak up, Sven spoke up.

"Um...I know I should have asked earlier, but...Cassandra? Can I speak with you in private for a few moments?" Sven sounded unsure about this, nervous even. Cassandra paused, before nodding in response.

* * *

Sven took a deep breath as he faced the man in front of him, who was possibly the hero of the legend in, an alley.

"First, I want to thank you for helping us...even if there had to be killing involved. Briana used to be a lot better before the Apothecary came."

"She was?" Cassandra asked, intrigued.

"Yes. She used to be a sweet woman. Everyone used to love her, rather than fear her. But when the Apothecary came and made her one of his right-hand men, she changed. Became more...ruthless, asserting power left and right. Riley and I used to be childhood friends-we didn't know what changed her. I think it was because of the Apothecary's influence on her or something like that. So...technically, as terrible as it sounds, I'm actually glad you killed her. Maybe she'll be the person she once was in the afterlife if that exists. At least she doesn't have to be corrupted by the Apothecary anymore."

Cassandra let those words sink in, and cringed a bit. Leroy...when he had first taken in Leroy, he saw him as nothing but a slave to be put to use. Drugs and a collar to keep him from speaking up were the things that helped him change that boy. Leroy would be scarred forever-he wouldn't be changed back to the innocent child he used to be. What if Leroy was killed during the Crimone Gardens incident? Maybe he would see it as a sweet release from the hell that Gladstone put him through.

Heck, Jizabel himself went under a similar change like Briana-he used to be a completely innocent boy, too. But then his father had to go and mess things up. First his sisters and mother, then that sheep called Snark...it was devastating to Jizabel, and he obviously had been scarred since. Gladstone came to understand the pain that Jizabel had went through, and what had he used that knowledge for? To try to trap him in his grasp, to make Jizabel his own. Cassandra knew now that...that doing something like that just wasn't right. It just wasn't at all.

"I'm...sorry to hear that." Cassandra managed to say after moments of silence. "...I've seen two people that have been scarred like her."

"Then you know what it's like. To feel helpless and unable to help them, or to try to manipulate them to your advantage." Sven murmured quietly. "You did that to Leroy..."

"I know I did. Same with Jizabel-that's too long a story to tell about that. I regret it completely, now, but there is nothing I can do but to dare not harm them any further. I'm sorry." Cassandra bit his lip quietly.

Sven let out a sigh, pushing a lock of hair from behind his ear as he took a few steps closer to Cassandra. "Cassandra Gladstone. Indirectly massacred thousands of people in the place you came from, as well as abusing two people to wits end. And yet...I..."

The next thing Cassandra felt was the touch of chapped lips touching his own quite gently.

He wasn't sure what to do. Should he just play along? Should he try to kiss deeper, or push the healer off him, or bite his lip in retaliation? It wasn't like Cassandra felt these feelings towards Sven-he really didn't.

But...why would Sven ever admire someone like him?

The kiss broke. Sven took a step backwards, his voice sounding more solemn.

"I must be a monster to fall for you in such a short time. I know your entire reputation, but yet I still fall for you." Sven paused, before speaking again. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have-"

"You're not a monster, Sven. I am. Not you, me." Cassandra spoke, using a tone of voice that commanded authority, albeit a bit gentler than usual-he didn't want to hurt Sven's feelings too much, because he felt that would be cruel. "And you're not the only one who has had a bit of affection towards people of the same sex. It's alright, Sven."

Sven paused again, before speaking. "The only advice I can give you is to try to make things right-that's all you can do. Just believe in yourself and in others, and hope for the best."

Cassandra smiled at him a little. "Thank you..."

* * *

"You're not angry?" Lady Eva asked quietly.

Cyril shook his head as he watched the scene in the mist. "No. It was Sven's choice. And he seems to have taken the rejection from Cassandra quite well...he understands." He let out a weak chuckle. "Funny, my dear brother, that you say you are the monster. I am."

"You're not." Lady Eva responded, crossing her arms. "What did you do to ever be called a monster?"

"...I killed someone. You know that." Cyril turned towards her quietly. "I killed a close friend of Sven's quite brutally years ago."

"You did it to protect me. You were doing your duty." She held his hands in her own hands as she spoke. "It could not be prevented. All we can do is let it be." She glanced at the mist again, for a moment. "Hm...Adrian is the new leader? I ought to get in touch with him soon to congratulate him on his new position."

"True." Cyril agreed, letting go of her hands. He turned towards the mist to see Cassandra Gladstone's image. "And we ought to keep a close eye on Lord Cassandra Gladstone. He has a friend to save first before arriving here, and I do wish that he does survive the Spirit Eaters."

"I must agree. Let us hope that he can get past those tricky devils."


End file.
